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Connecticut Poor Law Aimed to Care for the Needy
Connecticut instituted a Poor Law in the 17th century to comply with a directive from the British government that the colony ensure for the care of the poor within its borders
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Charles McLean Andrews and Evangeline Walker Andrews
Charles McLean Andrews was one of the most distinguished historians of his time, generally recognized as the master of American colonial history.
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A Woman Who Developed Tolerance: Leila T. Alexander
As a member of the War Council, Leila T. Alexander served on several Council committees including education, employment, advisory, social service, and welfare.
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Iron and Water: The Norwich & Worcester Railroad Story
Connecticut’s early railroad history had at its core the goal of linking New York City and Boston through a hybrid system of steamboats and trains.
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“Negroes Who Stand Up and Fight Back” – Paul Robeson in Hartford
Called the “greatest mobilization of police in the city’s history,” the event that brought law enforcement out in force to Keney Park was not a riot, not a strike, but a concert by this singer-actor and activist.
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Meriden’s Silver Lining
Despite large numbers of local industries going out of business by the start of the Civil War, Horace and Dennis Wilcox, helped establish a lucrative silver industry in Meriden.
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Honor and Duty: The Life of Alfred Howe Terry
Born in Hartford, Alfred Howe Terry studied law before heroically capturing Fort Fisher during the Civil War.
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Disaster at Cold Harbor: Connecticut’s Second Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment
For many veterans of the Second, the assault at Cold Harbor would be the most terrible memory of their Civil War careers.
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Clarence Dickinson Carries Printing Innovation into the 20th Century
Clarence Dickinson was a long-time Haddam resident and pioneer in offset lithography—a process using printing plates on chemically treated flat surfaces.
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Hurricane of 1938: Connecticut’s Worst Disaster
Deadly as well as costly, this storm scarred the landscape for decades after and left each Connecticut family with its own tale to tell of the ruinous events.
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The Connecticut Ratification Convention
Though approved at a renegade convention on September 17, 1787, the US Constitution did not become “the supreme law of the land” until 9 of the 13 states ratified the document.
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Igor Sikorsky and his Flying Machines
This Russian émigré not only invented a machine capable of controlled vertical flight, he also re-invented his aviation career along the way.
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Video – Undersea University – US Navy’s Submarine School
1965 film of the US Naval Submarine Base New London submarine training school produced by the US government.
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Windsor Tobacco: Made in the Shade
By the mid-19th century, the “Tobacco Valley,” Springfield, Massachusetts to Hartford, Connecticut had become a center for cash-crop production.
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The Legend of the Charter Oak
This Charles D. Brownell painting from the mid-1850s epitomizes the importance that the Charter Oak tree held in the hearts and minds of Connecticut citizens.
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Women Win the Right to Vote
After a decades-long struggle, women in Connecticut and across the US gained a say in government.
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North Stonington Fairs Preserve Connecticut’s Agricultural Heritage
Despite brief success as a mill town in the early 19th century, North Stonington is ultimately tied to its agricultural history.
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Hardcore Connecticut: Documenting the State’s Punk Rock Scene
Hardcore punk rockers occupied venue spaces, spectators became performers, pools became skate parks, and Xerox machines became the printing press in this underground renaissance.
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Kensington Soldiers Monument Dedicated – Today in History: July 28
On July 28, 1863, the Soldiers Monument in the Kensington section of Berlin was dedicated and is the oldest permanent Civil War monument.
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Samuel Colt…and Sewing Machines?
The National Museum of American History explains how a revolver, sewing machine, bicycle, and early-model electric automobile are connected.
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Senator Oliver Ellsworth’s Judiciary Act
On April 7, 1789, the Senate appointed a committee, composed of one senator from each of the 10 states then represented in that body, to draft legislation to shape the national judiciary.
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The Hartford Circus Fire
As a result of the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944, Connecticut enacted new, strict fire safety regulations for public performances.
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Charlotte Perkins Gilman Born – Today in History: July 3
On July 3, 1860, Charlotte Anna Perkins (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) was born in Hartford, Connecticut.
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Noble Jerome’s Clock Patent Model
Noble Jerome submitted this clock patent model to the US Patent Office along with his patent application in 1839, a common requirement up until the 1880s.
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One of the Honored Dead: General J. K. F. Mansfield
A resident of New Haven and Middletown, Joseph Mansfield rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Union army before losing his life at the Battle of Antietam.
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The Colt Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company
Samuel Colt, the man who revolutionized firearms manufacturing in the United States, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 19, 1814.
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Where Mr. Twain and Mrs. Stowe Built Their Dream Houses
This bucolic oasis on Hartford’s western edge became home to great literary talents, social reformers, politicians, and other nationally-regarded luminaries of the mid-to-late 1800s.
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Sarah Bernhardt Performs in Hartford – Today in History: June 8
On June 8, 1906, French stage and film actress Sarah Bernhardt appeared at Foot Guard Hall in Hartford.
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American Painter John Trumbull Born – Today in History: June 6
On June 6, 1756, John Trumbull, painter, architect, and author, was born in Lebanon.
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Gothic Connecticut
A museum, former library, and a home are just three notable examples of an architectural style popular in the 1800s.
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The House That Hoadley Built
The Wheeler-Beecher House (Hoadley House) serves as an outstanding example of Colonial architecture and also of renowned architect David Hoadley’s work.
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Benedict Arnold Demands the Key – Today in History: April 22
On April 22, 1775, Benedict Arnold demanded the key to New Haven’s powder house.
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Phineas Pratt’s Machine for Making Combs – Today in History: April 12
On April 12, 1799, Phineas Pratt of Ivoryton, Connecticut, a deacon, silversmith, and inventor, received a patent for a “machine for making combs.”
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Union Brew
Brewery strike in 1902 leads some to drink ginger ale, rather than beer, as a sign of solidarity.
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Hard Times: Governor Wilbur Cross and the Great Depression in Connecticut
Born in Mansfield, Governor Wilbur Cross helped see Connecticut through the Great Depression and several natural disasters.
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The British Raid on Essex
On a cold April night in 1814, a British raiding force rowed six miles up the Connecticut River to burn the privateers of Essex, then known as Pettipaug.
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P. T. Barnum Dies – Today in History: April 7
On April 7, 1891, the showman and entertainer, P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum died in Bridgeport.
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Knights of Columbus Chartered – Today in History: March 29
In October 1881, the Reverend Michael Joseph McGivney and male parishioners of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic church in New Haven founded Knights of Columbus.
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Video – Rosalind Russell Tribute Film
Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Waterbury native Rosalind Russell, the legendary award-winning actress of stage and screen.
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Fire at Wesleyan’s North College – Today in History: March 1
On March 1, 1906, North College at Wesleyan University in Middletown was destroyed by fire.
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Artist Louis Paul Dessar Dies – Today in History: February 14
On February 14, 1952, American artist Louis Paul Dessar died in Preston, Connecticut.
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Branding Law Enacted – Today in History: February 5
In 1644, Connecticut enacted the first branding law in the colonies, calling for all livestock owners to ear-mark or brand their cattle, sheep, and swine.
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Video – Vampires and Witches in Connecticut a Lecture and Panel Discussion
Explore Connecticut’s aggressive prosecution and execution of accused witches between 1647 and 1663, decades before the famous Salem witch trials.
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Pepperidge Farm: Healthful Bread Builds a Business
Margaret Rudkin founded the popular brand Pepperidge Farm after finding out her son’s asthma was made worse by additives found in bread.
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Mianus River Bridge Collapses – Today in History: June 28
Not long after midnight on June 28, 1983, a section of the Mianus River Bridge on I-95 in Cos Cob collapsed.
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Benedict Arnold died in London, England – Today in History: June 14
On June 14, 1801, Revolutionary War general and traitor Benedict Arnold died in London.
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The Bazooka Changes War – Today in History: June 14
On June 14, 1942, the General Electric Company in Bridgeport finished production on the “Launcher, Rocket AT, M-1,” better known as the bazooka.
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Hamilton Breaks Air Records – Today in History: June 13
Charles Keeney Hamilton completed the first round-trip journey ever made between two large cities in an airplane in the United States.
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Governor Chester Bowles Dies – Today in History: May 25
On May 25, 1986, Chester Bowles, a Connecticut governor, Congressional representative, ambassador, and author, died in Essex, Connecticut.
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Waterbury Tornado – Today in History: May 24
On May 24, 1962, a tornado hit the towns of Waterbury, Wolcott, and Southington.
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