Connecticut

• Region: New England
• Population: 3,626,205 (ranked 29th) (2022 estimate)
• Capital: Hartford (pop. 120,686) (2022 estimate)
• Largest city: Bridgeport (pop. 148,377) (2022 estimate)
• Number of counties: 8
• State nickname: Constitution State
• State motto: Qui transtulit sustinet (He who transplanted still sustains)
• State flag: Azure field with state coat of arms above banner with state motto

Situated in the southwest corner of New England, Connecticut is bordered by New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Long Island Sound forms the state’s southern boundary. Connecticut’s geographic location makes the state an important link in the northeastern United States’ transportation and industrial corridor. Connecticut’s scenic landscape is as diverse as its population, and the state’s highly regarded natural beauty presents a stark contrast to its manufacturing and high-technology industries. The third smallest state in the United States, it is one of the most densely populated and also boasts the highest per capita income in the country. Connecticut was the fifth state admitted to the Union on January 9, 1788, and has played an integral role in the history and development of the United States ever since.

State Name: The state’s name is derived from the Mohegan word quinnehtukqut, which means “beside the long tidal river,” in reference to the river that divides the state from north to south. Connecticut’s official nickname, the “Constitution State,” refers to the Fundamental Orders of 1639, which united several of the area’s original settlements into a single commonwealth, and is regarded as one of the first written constitutions ever adopted. The state is also known by several unofficial nicknames, including the “Nutmeg State,” in reference to the prevalence of the nutmeg trade in the area during the colonial period. Other nicknames include the “Land of Steady Habits” and the “Provisions State.”

Capital:Hartford, the capital of Connecticut since 1875, is located in the center of the state, on the banks of the Connecticut River. Hartford was originally established by settlers from Massachusetts in 1636, and for more than one hundred years both Hartford and New Haven served as the state’s capital cities. Today, Hartford’s skyline features some of the tallest buildings between New York and Boston. The large number of insurance companies that once had headquarters in the city earned Hartford the nickname “Insurance City.”

Flag: The Connecticut state flag, adopted in 1897, depicts the state coat of arms against a field of azure blue. The coat of arms, which was first used in 1784, is a shield depicting three grapevines, representing the three original Connecticut River settlements that thrived in the wilderness after being transplanted from England. The state motto, the Latin phrase Qui transtulit sustinet (He who transplanted still sustains), appears beneath the shield.

Official Symbols

• Flower: Mountain laurel
• Bird: American robin
• Tree: Charter oak
• Animal: Sperm whale
• Fish: American shad
• Song: "Yankee Doodle"

State and National Historic Sites

• Amistad Trail (statewide)
• Beckley Furnace Industrial Monument (East Canaan)
• Connecticut Freedom Trail (statewide)
• Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park (Groton)
• Mark Twain House and Museum (Hartford)
• Mine Hill Preserve (Roxbury)
• Tapping Reeve House and Law School (Litchfield)
• Weir Farm National Historic Site (Wilton)

DEMOGRAPHICS

• Population: 3,626,205 (ranked 29th; 2022 estimate)
• Population density: 744.7/sq mi (2020)
• Urban population: 86.3% (2020)
• Rural population: 13.7% (2020)
• Population under 18: 20.2% (2022 estimate)
• Population over 65: 18.3% (2022 estimate)
• White alone: 78.4% (2022 estimate)
• Black or African American alone: 12.9% (2022 estimate)
• Hispanic or Latino: 18.2% (2022 estimate)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.7% (2022 estimate)
• Asian alone: 5.2% (2022 estimate)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1% (2022 estimate)
• Two or More Races: 2.7% (2022 estimate)
• Per capita income: $47,869 (ranked 2nd; 2021)
• Unemployment: 4.2% (2022)

American Indians: When Europeans first arrived in the New England region in the early seventeenth century, the coastal area of present-day Connecticut was inhabited by approximately 20,000 Indigenous peoples of the Algonquian language group. The Pequot, Mohegan, Niantic, Quinnipiac, and Wangunk peoples were all represented in this group. Today, there are only two federally recognized tribes in the state, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut. These two tribes operate the popular gambling casinos Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun on their lands in Mashantucket and Uncasville.

ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY

• Total area: 5,543 sq mi (ranked 48th)
• Land area: 4,842 sq mi (87.4% of total area)
• Water area: 701 sq mi (12.6% of total area)
• Shoreline: 618 miles
• National parks: 2
• Highest point: South slope of Mount Frissell (the mountain's peak is in neighboring Massachusetts) (2,380 feet)
• Lowest point: Long Island Sound (sea level)
• Highest temperature: 106° F (Torrington, August 23, 1916; Danbury, July 15, 1995)
• Lowest temperature: –32° F (Falls Village, February 16, 1943; Coventry, January 22, 1961)

Topography: Connecticut is bisected by the Connecticut River, which runs south through the center of the state. The rest of the state is divided into several distinct land regions. The Western Highlands, dominated by the Berkshire Hills, covers most of the western half of the state, and ranges in elevation from 1,000 to 1,400 feet above sea level. The heavily forested Eastern Highlands region slopes from the northwest to the southeast corner of the state, and features low-lying hills and river valleys. The broad Central Valley region, located in the middle of the state, averages twenty miles in width and is bordered by several basalt ridges, including Hanging Hills, Talcott Mountain, and Mount Lamentation to the south. This region is home to the state’s best farmland, with its rich soil and proximity to the Connecticut River.

The Seaboard, or Coastal Lowland, slopes downward from the uplands and terminates in a level plain at Long Island Sound, which provides the Connecticut coast with some protection from storms. The coastal strip, which is between six and sixteen miles wide, is dotted with harbors, marshes, and coves created by the mouths of rivers and streams. Major harbors lie near Bridgeport, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, and New Haven. Several small islands, including Mason Island, the Norwalk Islands, and the Thimble Islands, are situated off the Connecticut coast, but none are larger than two square miles in area.

Major Lakes

• Bantam Lake
• Barkhamsted Reservoir (Artificial)
• Cedar Lake
• Gardner Lake
• Lake Candlewood (Artificial)
• Lake Quassapaug
• Mashapaug Pond
• Pachaug Pond
• Rogers Lake
• Twin Lakes
• Waramaug Lake
• Winchester Lake

Major Rivers

• Connecticut River
• Eight Mile River
• Farmington River
• Housatonic River
• Naugatuck River
• Pawcatuck River
• Podunk River
• Quinebaug River
• Salmon River
• Shepaug River
• Shetucket River
• Thames River
• Yantic River

State and National Parks: The Appalachian Trail and New England Trail are two national scenic trails that pass through Connecticut. There are 32 state forests and 110 state parks scattered throughout the state. These sites offer a variety of recreational services and facilities, including more than eighty fresh- and salt-water boat-launching sites statewide. The Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum in Rocky Hill features a geodesic dome containing hundreds of Jurassic-era fossilized dinosaur footprints on exhibit. The state maintains several large parks near the coast of Long Island Sound, including Rocky Neck State Park (East Lyme), Sherwood Island State Park (Westport), Harkness Memorial State Park (Waterford), and Hammonasset Beach State Park (Madison).

Natural Resources: Copper and iron ore mining were once major industries in Connecticut. Iron and copper ore are still found in small amounts, along with lime, mica, clay, feldspar, nickel, clay, and sand and gravel. The state’s most valuable mineral resource is crushed basalt stone, which is used primarily in road building and construction.

Plants and Animals: In 2021, 55 percent of Connecticut’s area was covered by forests. Connecticut forests flourish thanks to a moderate, moist climate and are home to pine, oak, hickory, beech, ash, elm, birch, hemlock, and maple trees. Flowering plants such as azaleas, cowslip, hepatica, mountain laurel, and pink dogwood are found throughout the state, with the thickest vegetation occurring in upland areas. As more farmland has gone unused and grazing becomes less common, poison ivy has regained a foothold throughout Connecticut, and often prevents other plants from thriving.

There are few large animals in Connecticut. The state’s white-tailed deer population increased significantly during the latter part of the twentieth century. There has been a small resurgence in the black bear population in the northwest corner of the state. Many smaller wild animals are found in the state, including raccoons, squirrels, skunks, beavers, and opossums. Game animals such as foxes, rabbits, hares, minks, muskrats, and otters are also plentiful.

Freshwater ducks and other game birds, including pheasants, quail, ruffled grouse, and coastal swan are found across Connecticut, along with orioles, warblers, thrushes, and sparrows. Long Island Sound is filled with clams, oysters, lobsters, and other shellfish, as well as striped bass, bluefish, and swordfish, while the state’s inland waterways are home to freshwater fish such as shad, trout, bass, perch, pickerel, and salmon.

Climate: Connecticut enjoys a characteristically temperate New England climate, with four distinct seasons. Summers are typically hot and humid, especially inland, and winters are cold. The average January temperature is 27 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average temperature in July is 73 degrees.

Annual precipitation, including rain, snow, and other forms of moisture, averages between 44 and 48 inches. The northwest corner of Connecticut receives the most snow in the state. Hartford has an average annual snowfall of about 25 inches, while Bridgeport has an average snowfall of about 16 inches. Hurricanes, blizzards, and the occasional tornado are common meteorological occurrences in the state.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Major Colleges and Universities

• Albertus Magnus College (New Haven)
• Central Connecticut State University (New Britain)
• Connecticut College (New London)
• Eastern Connecticut State University (Willimantic)
• Fairfield University (Fairfield)
• Hartford Seminary (Hartford)
• Quinnipiac University (Hamden)
• Rensselaer at Work (Hartford)
• Sacred Heart University (Fairfield)
• Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven)
• Trinity College (Hartford)
• United States Coast Guard Academy (New London)
• University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport)
• University of Connecticut (Storrs)
• University of Hartford (West Hartford)
• University of New Haven (West Haven)
• University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford)
• Wesleyan University (Middletown)
• Western Connecticut State University (Danbury)
• Yale University (New Haven)

Major Museums

• Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield)
• Barnum Museum (Bridgeport)
• Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford)
• Connecticut River Museum (Essex)
• Lyman Allyn Art Museum (New London)
• Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (Mashantucket)
• Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea (Mystic)
• New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain)
• New Haven Museum (New Haven)
• Peabody Museum of Natural History (New Haven)
• Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford)
• Windham Textile and History Museum (Willimantic)

Major Libraries

• Bridgeport Public Library (Bridgeport)
• Connecticut Historical Society Library (Hartford)
• Connecticut State Library (Hartford)
• Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University (New Haven)
• Mark Twain Library (Redding)
• Mystic Seaport G. W. Blunt White Library (Mystic)
• New Haven Free Public Library (New Haven)
• Scoville Memorial Library (Salisbury)
• Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University (New Haven)

Media

Connecticut’s first newspaper, the Connecticut Gazette, began publication in 1755 in New Haven. Another major paper, the Hartford Courant, began publication in 1764 (as the Connecticut Courant) and has been published continuously longer than any other US newspaper. Other prominent newspapers include the Connecticut Post, the Waterbury Republican-American, and the New Haven Register.

WDRC, the first commercial AM station in the state, began broadcasting from Hartford in 1922. The state’s first television station, now known as WTNH, began broadcasting in New Haven in 1948. In addition to local television stations, major media from New York City, including radio, television, and newspapers, are also available throughout Connecticut.

ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Gross domestic product (in millions $USD): 321,844.6 (ranked 23rd; 2022)
• GDP percent change: 2.4%

Major Industries: Connecticut’s per capita personal income (PCPI) was the second-highest in the nation at $84,972, which was 129.9 percent of the national average of $65,423, in 2022. Fifteen Fortune 500 companies were headquartered in Connecticut in 2022, including Cigna in Bloomfield, Stanley Black and Decker in New Britain, and Xerox in Norwalk. The largest contributor to real growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, was durable goods manufacturing, accounting for 8.5 percent of the state's GDP. The largest industry was finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing, which accounted for 28.1 percent of the state’s GDP. Other important service industries include educational services, health care, and social assistance; government; and professional and business services.

Connecticut’s small fishing industry is based in Stonington and nearby coastal areas. Pollution in Long Island Sound had an adverse effect on the fishing business during the mid-twentieth century, but cleanup efforts begun in 1975 gradually improved conditions and marine life populations rebounded. The state’s commercial fishermen caught more than 7 million pounds of finfish and shellfish worth approximately $20.3 million in 2020.

Tourism: Connecticut is not a major tourist destination, and it serves mainly as a corridor for drivers traveling to other destinations in the region. While the state’s beaches and ski resorts are not as popular as those of other Northeastern states, many New Yorkers looking for a short day-trip are drawn to Connecticut for its varied scenery and proximity to the city.

The bulk of the state’s tourism business comes from its gambling casinos, operated by the Pequot and Mohegan tribes on their reservations in Mashantucket and Uncasville. The Pequot casino, Foxwoods, opened in 1991, is one of the largest casinos in the Western Hemisphere. Along with Mohegan Sun, which opened in 1996, the casinos have created thousands of jobs and attracted millions of tourists each year.

Energy Production: At one point, more than half of the power consumed in Connecticut was provided by four nuclear reactors at two sites near Long Island Sound. The Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant, located in Haddam Neck, began operation in 1968, as the first commercial nuclear power plant built in New England. However, in 1996, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) shut down the plant for safety violations and gross mismanagement. Likewise, one of the units at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, near New London, was shut down in 1995 and permanently closed in 1998, as conditions at the facility were rated the worst in the country by the NRC. Two remaining units continue to operate, and in 2021, 38 percent of the state’s net electricity generation came from the Millstone nuclear station. More than half of the state's electricity came from burning natural gas in 2021, while about 5 percent came from renewable electricity sources.

Agriculture: The majority of Connecticut’s soil is ill suited for commercial agriculture, and inflation and rising operating costs have made large-scale farming unprofitable. The sandy loams found in the northern Connecticut River Valley are the most conducive to agriculture.

Flowers and nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and poultry and eggs are the agricultural products most sold in Connecticut, according to the 2017 US Census of Agriculture. Although Connecticut’s shade-grown tobacco crop is no longer as profitable as it once was, tobacco sales were ranked fifth among the state's highest-value crops in 2017. As a supplement to the state’s fishing industry, many farmers raise oysters and other shellfish on fish farms across Connecticut. In 2022, the state had 5,500 farms operating on about 380,000 acres of land.

Airports: The largest and most important airport in the state is Bradley International Airport, located north of Hartford in Windsor Locks. It is served by nine passenger airlines; provides international, regional, and cargo flights, and is the second busiest airport in New England, following Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. Tweed New Haven Airport, which accommodates both domestic and some international itineraries, is the state’s second busiest airport. There are also five general aviation airports: Danielson, Groton-New London, Hartford-Brainard, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham.

Seaports: There are deepwater seaport facilities in Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London. In terms of tonnage handled annually, New Haven is the largest port, while New London sees the most traffic.

GOVERNMENT

• Governor: Ned Lamont (Democrat)
• Present constitution date: December 30, 1965
• Electoral votes: 7
• Number of counties: 8
• Violent crime rate: 181.6 (per 100,000 residents; 2020)
• Death penalty: No (abolished in 2012)

Constitution: The Constitution State earned its nickname with the adoption of the Fundamental Orders, one of the first written governmental frameworks, in 1639. However, Connecticut was governed for more than 150 years by the 1662 charter obtained from England’s King Charles II, a document that provided the colonists with an unusual amount of freedom and self-government. The basic tenets of state government set out in the charter remained unchanged even after the adoption of a new constitution in 1818, which assured complete religious freedom for Connecticut residents. The current constitution was approved in 1965, after Connecticut was ordered to reapportion and redistrict the state legislature in order to ensure a fair election process. The amended Constitution guaranteed equal representation based on the population of election districts, as well as home rule for Connecticut towns.

Branches of Government

Executive: Connecticut’s governor is popularly elected to a four-year term, and may succeed him- or herself, with no limit on the number of terms that may be served. Many other state officials, including the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller, and treasurer are also popularly elected, each to a four-year term. Other executive branch officials are appointed by the governor with the approval of the state legislature.

Legislative: Also known as the General Assembly, Connecticut’s legislature consists of a thirty-six-member senate and a 151-member house of representatives. Each legislator is popularly elected to a two-year term, and the entire Assembly convenes annually. By the mid-twentieth century, Connecticut’s legislative representation had become so disproportionate that a vote by approximately 10 percent of the state’s population could elect a majority in the House. The new constitution, approved in 1965, provided a new system of voting districts with equal populations for equal representation.

Judicial: Connecticut’s highest court is the Connecticut Supreme Court, which consists of six associate justices and one chief justice. Each justice is appointed by the legislature and serves an eight-year term. In addition, there are nine appellate court judges.

HISTORY

1614 Navigator Adriaen Block, representing the Dutch West India Company, sails up the Connecticut River and claims the region for the Dutch, opening the area to Dutch exploration and settlement.

1632 English settlers receive a land grant, which includes the Connecticut area, from the Earl of Warwick.

1633 The first European settlements are established in Connecticut; English settlers from Massachusetts establish a colony at Windsor, and the Dutch build a small trading post near the site of modern-day Hartford.

1636 The Connecticut Colony, or River Colony, consisting of the combined towns of Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield, is formed.

1637 White settlers, along with Mohegan and Narragansett warriors, attack the Pequots in retaliation for the alleged murder of two white men in a conflict known as the Pequot War.

1638 The New Haven Colony is founded at Quinnipiac by a group of wealthy Puritans lead by John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton.

1639 Representatives of the three parts of the Connecticut Colony, under the direction of Reverend Thomas Hooker, create the Fundamental Orders, a set of democratic principles designed to govern the colony and ensure that the government is based on the consent of the people.

1643 The Connecticut Colony joins the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies as part of the New England Confederation, in an effort to oppose American Indian resistance to European settlement.

1647 Alice Young is hanged as a witch in Windsor, Connecticut. It is New England’s first execution for practicing witchcraft.

1650 A state law requiring more populous towns to hire teachers and establish schools is passed.

1662John Winthrop Jr., governor of the Connecticut Colony, obtains a legal charter, which is used as Connecticut’s constitution until 1818, from King Charles II of England.

1665 The New Haven Colony is annexed by Connecticut under the new royal charter.

1675–76King Philip’s War, fought between the New England Confederation and the Wampanoag, Naragansett, and Nipmuck tribes, comes to an end in Connecticut with the defeat of the Wampanoags. It is the bloodiest Indian war in the region’s history.

1687Sir Edmund Andros, governor-general of the New England colonies, visits New Haven and attempts to assert control over Connecticut. He demands the colony’s charter, but it is hidden from him in Hartford’s famous Charter Oak tree.

1701 Yale University, the country’s third-oldest university, is founded as Collegiate University.

1744 Connecticut enlists 1,100 men to fight against American Indians and the French in King George’s War.

1764 The Connecticut Courant begins publication in Hartford. Now known as the Hartford Courant, it is the longest-running continuously published newspaper in the United States.

1769 A conflict between Connecticut and Pennsylvania over land rights to Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley begins. The so-called Pennamite Wars come to an end in 1799, with Pennsylvania winning control of the disputed area.

1775 Approximately 30,000 Connecticut troops join the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

1776 Connecticut declares its independence from Great Britain on June 14; Coventry native and American spy Nathan Hale is executed by the British.

1779 Several Revolutionary War engagements take place in Connecticut; New Haven is attacked and Norwalk and Fairfield are burned by British forces.

1781 Norwich native and former Patriot Benedict Arnold betrays the revolutionary cause and leads British forces in an attack on New London.

1787 The Constitutional Convention agrees upon the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, which allows for the creation of a two-house legislature, one providing representation on the basis of population, another providing equal representation for all states, regardless of size. This method of apportioning representation is still used by the US Congress today.

1788Connecticut ratifies the US Constitution and becomes the fifth state on January 9.

1810 The first water-powered silk mill in the United States is built in Mansfield.

1814 The Hartford Convention, a meeting of New England Federalist Party members in opposition to the War of 1812, is held at the Old State House in Hartford.

1817 With just seven students, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opens the country’s first free school for the deaf in Hartford. Today, the school operates as the American School for the Deaf, in West Hartford.

1818 The Charter of 1662 is replaced with a new state constitution.

1822 The state’s first treatment facility for mental illness, the Hartford Retreat for the Insane, opens. It was later renamed the Institute of Living, and became a division of Hartford Hospital in 1994.

1825 Construction begins on the Farmington Canal.

1830 America’s first industrial union, the New England Association of Farmers, Mechanics, and Other Workingmen, is organized in Lyme.

1836 Hartford native Samuel Colt patents the first repeating pistol, which is manufactured by Eli Whitney at a nearby factory.

1840 After an uprising aboard the slave ship La Amistad, rebel slaves are tried in Connecticut for killing two crewmen during the rebellion. They are eventually acquitted by the US Supreme Court.

1842 The Wadsworth Atheneum opens in Hartford. Today, it is the oldest public art museum in the United States.

1844 The first east-west rail line in the United States, between New York and New Haven, is chartered. Service begins four years later.

1848 Slavery is abolished in Connecticut.

1861–65 Connecticut sends more than 50,000 men, along with supplies, weapons, and ships, to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War.

1875 Hartford is made the capital of Connecticut.

1878 The world’s first telephone exchange, developed by George W. Coy, begins operation in New Haven.

1881 Storrs Agricultural School, later renamed Connecticut State College, is founded. The school is reorganized as the University of Connecticut in 1939.

1914–18 More than 65,000 Connecticut soldiers serve during World War I.

1917 During World War I, the US Navy opens a shipyard in Groton. The facility is later used as a submarine base.

1939–45 In addition to sending more than 200,000 soldiers to serve during World War II, Connecticut supplies the military with submarines and ball bearings for the war effort.

1943 The Inter-Racial Commission, the first civil rights commission in the United States, is created in Connecticut.

1954 Construction is completed on the world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, at the Groton shipyard.

1965 A constitutional convention replaces the outdated 1818 state constitution.

1969 Three days of race riots begin on Labor Day in Hartford. Approximately five hundred people are arrested in the worst riots in the state’s history.

1971 For the first time in the state’s history, a state income tax is adopted. It is repealed, and adopted again in 1991.

1975 Ella Grasso becomes the first woman in US history to be elected governor without succeeding her husband in the same office.

1979 The state legislature passes a law forbidding the construction of additional nuclear power plants in Connecticut.

1981 Thirman L. Milner becomes the first African American mayor in New England history when he is elected mayor of Hartford.

1991 After years of financial decline, the city of Bridgeport files for bankruptcy. The same year, Hurricane Bob causes $40 million in damage to the state.

1993 A $12 million renovation project begins at the Old State House in Hartford. More than two hundred years old, it is the oldest state house in the country.

1997 After Hartford High School loses its accreditation, the state assumes management of the city’s failing public school system.

2000 Stamford native and US senator Joseph Lieberman is selected by Vice President Al Gore as his running mate in the US presidential election. Lieberman is the first candidate of Jewish descent to be nominated for the vice presidency by a major political party.

2003 Due to a corruption scandal, Connecticut Governor John Rowland resigns and is replaced by Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell.

2005 On May 13, serial killer Michael Ross is executed by lethal injection in Connecticut. This is the first use of the death penalty in New England since 1960.

On June 23, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision in the case of Kelo v. the City of New London. In a controversial decision, the Court ruled that the city could legally acquire private property for use in public land development that aims to accomplish regional economic improvements.

2012 On December 14, twenty children and six staff members are massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooting prompts widespread calls for measures to limit gun violence.

2018 Jahana Hayes, a former teacher, becomes the first Black woman elected to the US Congress to represent Connecticut.

2019 Connecticut becomes the first state to tax sugary beverages like soft drinks, juice, and milkshakes.

2021 Connecticut legalizes recreational marijuana on July 1.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Ethan Allen, 1738–89 (Litchfield): Revolutionary War soldier, leader of the Green Mountain Boys.

Benedict Arnold, 1741–1801 (Norwich): Revolutionary War soldier, traitor.

Henry Baldwin, 1780–1844 (New Haven): US representative and Supreme Court justice.

Phineas Taylor “P. T.” Barnum, 1810–91 (Bethel): Entertainer, founder of the Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Edward Alexander Bouchet, 1852–1918 (New Haven): Educator, first African American person to earn a doctorate in the United States.

John Brown, 1800–59 (Torrington): Abolitionist.

George Walker Bush, 1946– (New Haven): Forty-third president of the United States.

Glenn Close, 1947– (Greenwich): Actor.

Suzanne Collins, 1962– (Hartford): Author, The Hunger Games series.

Samuel Colt, 1814–62 (Hartford): Firearms manufacturer, inventor of the revolver pistol.

Dominick Dunne, 1925–2009 (Hartford): Journalist, author.

Charles Goodyear, 1800–60 (New Haven): Inventor of the vulcanization process for rubber.

Nathan Hale, 1755–76 (Coventry): Revolutionary War soldier, famous for the quote “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Katharine Hepburn, 1907–2003 (Hartford): Actor.

Charles Ives, 1874–1954 (Danbury): Composer.

Edwin H. Land, 1909–91 (Bridgeport): Inventor of the instant-photo camera, founder of the Polaroid Corporation.

Annie Leibovitz, 1949– (Westbury): Photographer.

Floyd Little, 1942–2021 (New Haven): Athlete; inducted into Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Rebecca Lobo-Rushin, 1973– (Hartford): Athlete, Olympian, sports broadcaster

John Pierpont Morgan, 1837–1913 (Hartford): Financier, philanthropist.

Ralph Nader, 1934– (Winsted): Consumer activist, lawyer, politician, author.

Frederick Law Olmstead, 1822–1903 (Hartford): Landscape architect.

Kenneth H. Olsen, 1926–2011 (Bridgeport): Electrical engineer, pioneering computer designer.

Adam Clayton Powell Jr.., 1908–72 (New Haven): US representative, minister.

Anika Noni Rose, 1972– (Bloomfield): Actor.

Benjamin Spock, 1903–98 (New Haven): Pediatrician, psychiatrist, author of childcare books.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811–96 (Litchfield): Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852).

John Trumbull, 1756–1843 (Lebanon): Artist, painter.

Laura Wheeler Waring, 1887–1948 (Hartford): Painter, educator.

Noah Webster, 1758–1843 (West Hartford): Lexicographer, writer, publisher of An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828).

TRIVIA

• American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, the first cookbook written in America, was published in Hartford in 1796.
• Lyme disease, the infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by ticks, was first identified in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975.
• An American Dictionary of the English Language was published in New Haven in 1828 by West Hartford native Noah Webster.
• Clockmaker Eli Terry, a native of East Windsor, was the first person to mass-produce clocks, beginning in 1808.
• Legendary college football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg invented the football tackling dummy in 1889, while he was a student at Yale University in New Haven.
• The Litchfield Law School, the United States’ first law school, was founded in Litchfield in 1784.
• Scoville Memorial Library, in Salisbury, is the country's oldest public library, founded in 1771.
• In 2019, a nineteenth-century Connecticut resident who was suspected of being a vampire is identified as farmer John Barber, who likely died of tuberculosis.

Bibliography

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Arnold, Douglas M., and Christopher Collier. "Eleven Fundamental Documents in Connecticut History." Connecticut History, vol. 49, no.2, 2010, pp. 228–40. Academic Search Premier, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=57337216&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 26 Apr. 2013.

"Connecticut." Quick Facts, US Census Bureau, 1 July 2022, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CT/HSG495221. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

"Connecticut: 2020 Census." US Census Bureau, 25 Aug. 2021, www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/connecticut-population-change-between-census-decade.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2022.

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James Ryan