Connecticut History

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Traveling home from the holidays? What’s your mode of transportation? #OTD in 1958, Governor Abraham Ribicoff officially opened the Connecticut Turnpike to traffic. At the time of construction, it was the longest urban highway in the country. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/connecticut-tu…

Happy New Year! What history are you going to learn about Connecticut in 2025? Explore: connecticuthistory.org

Happy End of 2024! What was your favorite ConnecticutHistory.org article that you read this year? Check out the top three articles of our readers this year below and explore more of ConnecticutHistory.org: connecticuthistory.org

In 1809, a CT resident received the 1st US patent issued to a woman, but many have gotten patents since! From improvements in skirt elevators to the invention of a rotary cutter, women’s patents helped change the way we lived, worked, & played. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/the-inventive-…

#OTD in 1925, head of the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company Frederick Rentschler debuted its first product: the Wasp Engine. Wasp-powered planes earned a reputation for superior speed, rate of climb, altitude performance, & reliability. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/pratt-whitney-…

A little over 251 years ago, John Hinson became the 1st inmate at New-Gate Prison. The history of the prison involves forced labor, political imprisonment, escape attempts, and more. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/first-new-gate…

80 years ago tomorrow in 1944, water flowed directly from the Barkhamsted Reservoir to Hartford for the 1st time. The project was successful to take the strain off the Nepaug Reservoir, but it cost 1,000 displaced residents their homes & community: connecticuthistory.org/barkhamsted-re…

Registration is open for the Connecticut Digital Humanities Conference! Join us February 21-22, 2025 at CCSU to talk all things DH! Registration is free, but required: ctdh.io/registration/

210 years ago yesterday, on Dec. 15, 1814, the Hartford Convention met in secret at the Old State House in Hartford. Learn how it resulted in a declaration calling on the federal gov. to protect New England & to supply financial aid to NE's trade economy: connecticuthistory.org/the-hartford-c…

217 years ago tomorrow, a meteoroid exploded over Fairfield Co. The 30lb specimen collected in Weston, CT was the first to be recorded & studied in the US. Learn about how the Weston meteorites helped Benjamin Silliman become the father of meteoritics: connecticuthistory.org/first-recorded…

Dr. Ethel Collins Dunham devoted her life to ensuring the care of children throughout the early & mid-20th century. A pioneering neonatologist, she worked in Yale’s 1st pediatric department & became the chief of child development at the Children’s Bureau: connecticuthistory.org/ethel-collins-…

Language matters and the way we use language has historical roots. Learn about how East Haddam’s Casey Miller and Kate Swift worked to promote nonsexist language in the 1970s: connecticuthistory.org/rewriting-the-…

How did 18th century Connecticut communities handle contagious illnesses? #OTD in 1760, the town of Durham completed their hospital house or “Pest House” to provide a place of quarantine for smallpox patients. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/the-pest-house…

On May 30, 1902, a dozen African American waiters met at the Home Circle Club on Ford Street in Hartford to form The Colored Waiters and Cooks Local 359. Learn more about how they organized for “living wages, justice, protection and equal rights: connecticuthistory.org/serving-up-jus…

Herbert Abrams was an American painter whose portraits hang in some of the country's most prestigious institutions. Growing up in Hartford, his most famous work was a portrait of President Carter commissioned for the White House collection. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/herbert-abrams…

Born in Stamford, Ruth A. Lucas was the 1st African American woman in the air force to attain rank of colonel. Learn more about how her strong conviction encouraged countless servicepeople to continue their education as part of their military training: connecticuthistory.org/colonel-ruth-a…

Lebanon, CT’s William Beaumont was the 1st person to observe & describe the process of digestion in a still-living human. Born #otd in 1785, Beaumont treated Alexis St. Martin who suffered a gunshot wound to the torso in June 1822. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/the-father-of-…

How do seven Alderney cows factor into the fight for women’s rights? Abby & Julia Smith associated their story with American Revolution figures and made themselves living martyrs to the cause of women’s suffrage & government corruption. Learn more: connecticuthistory.org/the-smith-sist…

Save the Date!! February 21-22, 2025 at CCSU. The Connecticut Digital Humanities Conference is cooking up some great panels, papers, and demos! The conference is free for attendees and registration is coming soon: ctdh.io