Connecticut Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

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

The first electric light socket featuring an on-off pull chain was invented in Bridgeport in 1896. The simple device has proved so useful that it's still widely used today.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

Designer Bill Blass, who died in New Preston (pop. 1,110) in 2002, helped pioneer elegant, yet comfortable, clothing styles popular in the late-20th century. He expanded his brand with products as diverse as chocolates and sunglasses.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

The Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury (pop. 3,977), founded in 1771 with community contributions, is one of the nation's oldest public libraries. In its early years, patrons could borrow and return books on the third Monday of every third month and fees were collected for damage, usually caused by wax dripped from the candles by which patrons read.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

Cleveland Indians shortstop Cornelius "Neal" Ball, who is buried in Bridgeport, executed the first unassisted triple play in major league history in a 1909 game against the Boston Red Sox. Ball's glove from that game is displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Actress Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), winner of four Oscars, was born in Hartford and died in Old Saybrook (pop. 10,367). She performed in more than 50 films, including Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond. For her achievements, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, which was organized in 1994 in Hartford.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

Dean Acheson, who served as secretary of state under President Harry Truman from 1949 to 1953, was born in 1893 in a brick rectory of the Holy Trinity Church in Middletown (pop. 43,167), where his father was the pastor.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

The late Clarence C. Wadsworth, a scholar and linguist, willed 267 acres of land to the state in 1942 to establish Wadsworth Falls State Park in the towns of Middlefield (pop. 4,203) and Middletown (pop. 43,167).

first appeared: 4/9/2006

The Henry Whitfield State Museum in Guilford (pop. 21,398) is housed in Connecticut’s oldest house. It was built in 1639 as a minister’s home and defensive stronghold for the community.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

Joan Joyce of Waterbury, a softball star in the 1950s and 1960s, threw a fastball clocked at 118 mph. A member of the National Amateur Softball Hall of Fame, Joyce holds a career pitching record of 753 wins and 42 losses, including 150 no-hit, no-run games and 50 perfect games.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

Boston Bruin Brian Leetch, considered one of the most skilled offensive defensemen in NHL history, was born in Texas but grew up in Connecticut, where his dad managed the Cheshire ice skating rink. Leetch is a two-time Norris Trophy winner, a seven-time All-Star and played for the 1988, 1998 and 2002 U.S. Olympic hockey teams.

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Haley Farm State Park in Groton (pop. 39,907), about 198 acres of open space that once featured a scenic shoreline farm, now is frequented by hikers, joggers and cross-country skiers. Cyclists can take advantage of the park’s bike trail, which is part of a 7.5-mile bikeway running from Mystic (pop. 4,001) to Groton.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

Covering 24,000 acres, Pachaug State Forest is Connecticut’s largest. The forest began with a land purchase in Voluntown (pop. 2,528) in 1928. Among its features is a rare and impressive colony of native giant rhododendrons within an equally rare Atlantic white cedar swamp.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

Bridgeport native Edwin Land (1909-1991) invented Polaroid photography by discovering a one-step process for developing and printing "instant" photographs. The public found the process amazing when they bought the Land camera, introduced in 1947. Eighteen years later, Land introduced his popular "Swinger" model, which sold for $20.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

The Ivoryton Playhouse, America’s oldest professional, self-supporting summer theater, was established in 1930 in Ivoryton, a village of Essex (pop. 6,505), when it was reported that Bette Davis took to the stage. Other stars who performed there include Marlon Brando, Art Carney, Betty Grable and Gloria Swanson.

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS CONNECTICUT 2006—Dianna Marie Baitinger is a professional singer who graduated from Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music. An advocate for youth suicide prevention, the Norwich (pop. 36,117) resident also is a spokesperson for SPAN USA (Suicide Prevention Action Network).

first appeared: 1/8/2006

The New England Carousel Museum in Bristol (pop. 60,062) houses one of the nation’s largest collections of antique carousel pieces. The museum is dedicated to the acquisition, restoration and preservation of operating carousels and related memorabilia, and visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history and evolution of the hand-carved animals.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

Old Mystic (pop. 3,205) is home to the nation’s only remaining steam-powered cider mill. B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill has operated continuously since its founding in 1881. Descendants of the founder continue the tradition at the National Historic Landmark.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

The Glebe House Museum in Woodbury (pop. 1,298) is an 18th-century farmhouse that offers visitors a glimpse of the Revolutionary War era. The museum also is home to a garden designed in 1926 by Gertrude Jekyll, the venerated English garden designer.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

Established in 1655, the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry, near Wethersfield (pop. 26,271), is the nation’s oldest continuously operating ferry. The open flatboat is guided across the Connecticut River by a towboat and operates between May 1 and Oct. 31.

first appeared: 11/20/2005

During World War II, the U.S. government halted operations of many clock manufacturers because of a metal shortage. The William L. Gilbert Clock Co., established in Winsted (pop. 28,237) in 1871, was allowed to continue because its clock cases were made of papier-maché, not metal.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

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