Connecticut Trivia & Tidbits - Page 8

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

The churning rapids of the Farmington River, which roar through Tariffville Gorge in Simsbury (pop. 23,234), challenge even the most skilled of whitewater paddlers. It is a frequent site for national canoe and kayak competitions, including Olympic trials.

first appeared: 6/27/2004

Exhibits at Hartford’s Trash Museum include the “Temple of Trash” and a children’s game called “Where’s the Rat?”

first appeared: 6/20/2004

The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut in Windsor (pop. 28,237) celebrates the history of electronic communications technology, from Morse code to radio, television and telephone.

first appeared: 6/13/2004

Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill (pop. 17,966) features 200 million-year-old dinosaur tracks. The footprints, 500 of which are protected beneath a dome, were discovered in 1966 during an excavation project.

first appeared: 6/6/2004

Believed to be more than 400 years old, the Granby Oak in Granby (pop. 10,347) has branches spreading nearly 130 feet. The tree is owned by the town’s land trust.

first appeared: 5/30/2004

Eastern Color Printing Co. of Waterbury produced the first regular, monthly, newsstand comic book—the Famous Funnies—in 1934. Today, a copy of volume No. 1 in near-mint condition reportedly is worth $13,500.

first appeared: 5/23/2004

At 2,316 feet, Bear Mountain in northwestern Connecticut is the state’s highest peak—but not the state’s highest point. That honor goes to a point on the south slope of Mount Frissell that reaches 2,380 feet. Frissell’s summit is in Massachusetts.

first appeared: 5/16/2004

The Palace Theater, a 1,580-seat vaudeville house designed by Thomas Lamb, opened to great acclaim in 1927 in Stamford. After a subsequent career as a movie house, it was restored and reopened in 1983 for live performances.

first appeared: 5/9/2004

The Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail—a succession of 13 museums and historical houses around the state—celebrates the contributions of Connecticut women throughout the Nutmeg State’s history.

first appeared: 5/2/2004

The largest shoreline park in the state consists of a two-mile, white sandy beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison (pop. 17,858).

first appeared: 4/25/2004

Hartford is often referred to as the Insurance Capital of the World. The city is home to more than 100 insurance companies, most of which were founded there.

first appeared: 4/18/2004

The Keeler Tavern Museum in Ridgefield (pop. 23, 643) has a British cannonball from a 1777 battle still embedded in its exterior. The museum previously served as a farmhouse, tavern, stagecoach stop, post office and hotel for travelers.

first appeared: 4/11/2004

Some of the earliest coins in America were produced at the Higley Mine in Simsbury (pop. 5,603). The first coins, minted in 1737, bore the legend, “Value me as you please. I am good copper.”

first appeared: 4/4/2004

The Mark Twain House in Hartford was occupied by the author for 17 years (1874-91), and is open today as a National Historic Landmark containing many of Twain’s possessions.

first appeared: 3/28/2004

The first practical helicopter in America was piloted by its designer, Igor I. Sikorsky (1889-1972), in September 1939 in Stratford (pop. 49,389). It had a tail rotor to counteract the torque of the main engine.

first appeared: 3/21/2004

When the state outlawed nine-pin bowling in the 1840s to stop people from gambling on the game, a tenth pin was added and it remains with us today.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

The daily Hartford Courant is the oldest newspaper in America still being published. In fact, it is older than America, having been established in 1764 as a weekly.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

Samuel Colt’s first factory for building his patented multi-shot pistol closed down in 1842 for lack of interest in his invention. Five years later, the U.S. Army contracted with him to build the “six-shooters,” however, and Colt—who was born in Hartford—soon became a wealthy man.

first appeared: 2/29/2004

Lollipops were first made in New Haven in 1908. They were named after a popular racehorse of the time, Lolly Pop.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

Each year, more than 400,000 anglers spend nearly $300 million on fishing in the state.

first appeared: 2/15/2004

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