Connecticut Trivia & Tidbits - Page 11

Looking for Connecticut trivia? Try our list Connecticut little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The name Connecticut comes from the American Indian word quinnetucket, meaning “long, tidal river.” The nickname “Nutmeg State” harkens back to Connecticut’s involvement in the spice trade.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

Actor William Gillette, famous for his stage portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, began building Gillette Castle, overlooking the Connecticut River in East Haddam (pop. 7,500), in 1914. It took five years to complete.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

In 2000, Amistad America Inc., a non-profit educational foundation, launched a re-creation of the slave ship Amistad. Built at Mystic Seaport in Mystic (pop. 4,000), the ship is 20 feet longer than the first.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

From 1703 to 1875, Connecticut had two capitals; sessions of the General Assembly met alternately in Hartford and New Haven. Since then, the capital is Hartford.

first appeared: 4/13/2003

On the weekend of June 4-7, 1982, south-central Connecticut received up to16 inches of rain—a record—causing widespread flooding in area streams.

first appeared: 4/6/2003

Marcia Frederick of Milford was the first American woman to win a gold medal in World Gymnastics championships, held in France in 1978. She competed in the uneven bars.

first appeared: 3/30/2003

The Colt Firearms factory in Hartford, rebuilt after an 1864 fire destroyed Colt’s first factory, has a blue, onion-shaped dome atop it—exactly as the original 1855 building did.

first appeared: 3/23/2003

When New Haven, founded in 1638, incorporated as a city in 1784, its first mayor was Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

first appeared: 3/16/2003

The state’s record rainbow trout, 13 pounds, 9 ounces, was caught by James Ranno Jr. in 1994 from Quannipaug Lake in Guilford (pop. 21,398).

first appeared: 3/9/2003

Before the British executed him as a spy in 1776 at age 21, Connecticut-born Nathan Hale, a captain in the Continental Army, commanded an elite company of “Rangers,” formed by Gen. George Washington for reconnaissance.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

The Frisbee got its name from the Frisbie Baking Co. of Bridgeport because Yale students discovered that empty pans of Mother Frisbie’s pies had excellent aerodynamic qualities. The Wham-O Co. adopted the name Frisbee in 1958.

first appeared: 2/23/2003

The Eagle, the name of a Star Trek spaceship and the first lunar lander, is also the name of a schooner berthed in New London used for training by the U.S. Coast Guard.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

Julia Smith of Glastonbury, in the mid-1800s, was the first woman to translate the Bible into English—from Latin, Greek, and Hebrew versions—printing her work at her own expense.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court emphasized Yankee ingenuity, which is borne out by a large number of inventors from the state. Among them are Eli Whitney, Charles Goodyear, and Samuel Colt.

first appeared: 2/2/2003

The first patent for quick-development photography inside a camera was granted to Bridgeport inventor Edwin Herbert Land in 1946. The first Polaroid “Land” camera was sold to the public in November 1948.

first appeared: 1/26/2003

Connecticut’s Clean Water Act of 1967, first of its kind, was used by the Environmental Protection Agency in developing the Federal Clean Water Act five years later.

first appeared: 1/19/2003

The state was an early leader in placing deposits on beverage containers to facilitate their return and now requires deposits on approximately 1.8 billion cans and bottles annually.

first appeared: 1/12/2003

The black walnut tree on the Waldo Homestead in Scotland (pop. 1,556) is the oldest tree in the state for which a planting date is known. The date, 1797, was recorded in the Waldo family Bible.

first appeared: 1/5/2003

Waterbury was once known as “The Brass Capital of the World.” During its heyday, the town’s Scovill Brass Co. manufactured most of the brass shell casings used in World War II.

first appeared: 12/29/2002

Naugahyde, a vinyl coated fabric, was first produced in Naugatuck in 1914. Because it had many of the characteristics of leather hide, the name Naugahyde resulted.

first appeared: 12/22/2002

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