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An Eccentric Middletown Polymath and Fossil Collector: Dr. Joseph Barratt
Despite his struggles with mental illness, Joseph Barratt was a significant contributor to the study of natural history in the Connecticut Valley.
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The Most Famous American in the World
In 1853, in cities and villages across Britain and Europe, throngs of admirers pushed to catch a glimpse of a barely 5-foot-tall writer from America whose best-selling novel had taken slavery to task.
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Furniture Caster Patented – Today in History: June 30
On June 30, 1838, the US patent No. 821—the first for a furniture caster—was granted to the Blake Brothers of New Haven.
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Deadly Fire at Gulliver’s – Today in History: June 30
Despite passing inspection shortly before the disaster, a fire at the Greenwich nightclub Gulliver’s in 1974 killed two dozen people.
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Educator Sarah Pierce Born – Today in History: June 26
On June 26, 1767, pioneering educator Sarah Pierce was born in Litchfield; during her long life, Pierce opened one of the nation’s first schools for women.
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Henry Ward Beecher Born – Today in History: June 24
On June 24, 1813, Henry Ward Beecher was born in Litchfield to the well-known Beecher family.
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Instruction by Mail: The Famous Artists School
The Famous Artists School in Westport once provided the premier correspondence training for those interested in an art career.
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Early Civil Rights and Cultural Pioneers: The Easton Family
For a variety of reasons, the Eastons were one of New England’s most notable 19th-century African American families.
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Connecticut’s War Governor, William A. Buckingham
Connecticut governor William Buckingham’s bronze statue at the Connecticut State Capitol honors his guidance of Connecticut through the Civil War.
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The Story of the Oakdale Makes Great Theater
The legendary Oakdale Theater in Wallingford reflects over 60 years of evolution in American pop culture.
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Samuel L. Clemens Receives Scrap-book Patent – Who Knew?
Writer and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, invented more than tall tales and novels.
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Harkness Memorial Park Offers a Glimpse into Early 20th Century Wealth
With gorgeous views of Long Island Sound, Harkness Memorial Park is a beautifully landscaped recreation area along the shoreline in Waterford, Connecticut.
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Votes for A Woman: Sara Buek Crawford
As Connecticut’s first female statewide elected official and first female Secretary of State, Sara Crawford broke barriers for women throughout her career.
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Oliver Cromwell Launched – Today in History: June 13
On June 13, 1776, the ship Oliver Cromwell was launched in Essex, one of the largest full-rigged ships built after the establishment of Connecticut’s navy.
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Flying High with Early Dirigible
In what would later be described as “the first flight of a man-carrying dirigible in America,” aeronaut Mark Quinlan piloted a machine designed and patented by Charles F. Ritchel.
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Christopher Leffingwell Born – Today in History: June 11
On June 11, 1734, businessman and civic leader Christopher Leffingwell was born in Norwich.
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A Connecticut Home That Dates Back to the 1600s!
Dating back to the mid-17th century, the Thomas Lee House in East Lyme, Connecticut, is one of the oldest wood-frame houses in the state.
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Academy Graduates First African American Student – Today in History: June 8
On June 8, 1966, the US Coast Guard Academy in New London graduated the first African American student, Ensign Merle James Smith, Jr.
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First Human Test of a Nylon Parachute – Today in History: June 6
On June 6, 1942, Adeline Gray made the first jump by a human with a nylon parachute at Brainard Field in Hartford.
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin Begins Serialization – Today in History: June 5
On June 5, 1851, the first chapter of what became the landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin appeared in the National Era, an anti-slavery newspaper in Washington, DC.
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The Hartford Insurance Investigator With the Action-Packed Expense Account
Based in Hartford, “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” was one of America’s most popular radio shows during the 15 years it aired.
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The Lemon Law – Today in History: June 4
On June 4, 1982, Connecticut made legislative history by pioneering the country’s first Lemon Law.
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“Something to Show for Our Work”: Building Brainard Airport
At the height of the Great Depression, unemployed men living around Hartford, became a cheap source of labor to help build Brainard airport.
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Parking Authority Created in New Haven – Today in History: June 2
On June 2, 1953, the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors ruled that creating a parking authority in the city of New Haven was constitutional.
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Helen Keller Dies – Today in History: June 1
On June 1, 1968, American author, political activist, and lecturer Helen Keller died at the age of 87.
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The Free Consent of the People: Thomas Hooker and the Fundamental Orders
Government formed with the consent of the people was a radical idea in the age of nations ruled by monarchs, emperors, and tsars.
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Colonial Revival Movement Sought Stability during Time of Change
The Colonial Revival was national in its scope, but as a state rich in historic resources, Connecticut became inextricably linked with the movement.
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Mary Hall: Connecticut’s First Female Attorney
Writer and suffragist Mary Hall studied law under John Hooker and became Connecticut’s first female attorney.
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Hometown Hero: Wallingford Remembers Stanley Budleski
Stanley Budleski was the first serviceman from Yalesville to be killed in World War II.
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Josephine Bennett: Hartford’s City Mother
By linking disparate social and political movements of the early 20th century, activist Josephine Bennett was “intersectional” well before the term was invented.
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Cornerstone Set – Today in History: May 25
On May 25, 1909, the cornerstone was laid for the new State Library and Supreme Court building in Hartford.
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Connecticut’s Capitol Building – Inside and Out
The Connecticut State Capitol was built at a time when Civil War commemoration was gaining popularity.
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Stealth Attack from Guilford Launched – Today in History: May 23
On May 23, 1777, Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs launched a lightning raid from Sachem Head in Guilford on Sag Harbor.
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Setting Speed Limits – Today in History: May 21
On May 21, 1901, Connecticut passed An Act Regulating the Speed of Motor Vehicles.
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Metal Homes for the Atomic Age
Once touted as the house “America has been waiting for,” only a few post-WWII Lustron steel houses remain in Connecticut.
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Dark Day – Today in History: May 19
On May 19, 1780, a strange darkness fell over much of New England. The darkness that enveloped Connecticut remained there for a day and a half.
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New-Gate Prison Breakout – Today in History: May 18
On May 18, 1781, the largest mass breakout in the history of New-Gate Prison took place.
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The Comstock Bridge Brings East Hampton Residents Together
Over the Salmon River, the Comstock Bridge served as part of the main road between Colchester and Middletown for much of its existence.
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Largest Earthquake in Connecticut – Today in History: May 16
On May 16, 1791, the largest earthquake to shake Connecticut took place in Moodus, an area known for earthquake activity.
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The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Hartford
Situated in Bushnell Park, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch honors the more than 4,000 Hartford men who fought for the Union during the Civil War.
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Albert Pope Pioneered Bicycles for Women
Hartford-based inventor Albert Pope saw his first bicycle at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and was so impressed that he went to Europe to study how bicycles were made.
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Jacob Schick Invents the Electric Razor – Today in History: May 13
On May 13, 1930, Colonel Jacob Schick obtained patent No. 1,757,978 for his dry electric shaver.
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Exploring Early Connecticut Mapmaking
Renderings of the terrain served a variety of purposes, from supporting colonists’ land claims as well as tribal counterclaims to settling religious disputes and even adorning the homes of the well-off.
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Katharine Hepburn’s Love Affair (with Connecticut)
One of the most popular actresses of the 20th century, Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford and lived much of her later life in Old Saybrook.
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A Russian Village Retreat in Southbury
The unique blend of American and Russian architecture found in Churaevka, along with the important part the village played in defining early 20th-century Russian immigration, earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
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Hidden Nearby: John Brown’s Torrington Birthplace
Ruins are all that remain of the birthplace of this transformative figure in US history.
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The First Yale Unit: How U.S. Navy Aviation Began
The legacy forged by the First Yale Unit lead to the creation of the Army Air Corps and military aviation as we know it.
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Sloan Wilson, the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, is Born – Today in History: May 8
On May 8, 1920, American author Sloan Wilson was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. Readers know Wilson best for his 1955 book The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
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Elizabeth W. Coe Demands the Right of Jury Service
After passage of the 19th Amendment, Elizabeth W. Coe of Waterbury argued that women should be granted the right to serve on jury panels.
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West Cornwall Covered Bridge: An Icon of New England Craftsmanship
The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic places and has been a symbol of the area’s rural heritage for almost 150 years.
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