Connecticut, New England’s southernmost state, has charm and a high standard of living. Its natural beauty spreads across forests, mountains, and lush green countryside. If you’re not well acquainted with the state, you must be wondering what it’s known for.
What is Connecticut known for? Here are 3 interesting facts:
- Connecticut was among the first colonies to rise against English rule in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- Lobster Rolls and Apizza are some of their famous food.
- Scoville Memorial Library at Salisbury was the US’ first publicly funded library.
This article is more than just a list. Read on because we put together interesting, fun facts that you probably haven’t heard of before.
What Is Connecticut Known For? (35 Fun Facts)
We aspire to give you more than a glimpse into Connecticut. So, apart from grouping the fun facts about Connecticut, we covered lots of grounds, from the basics to the history-infused trivia that bear the Connecticut touch.
1. Connecticut’s Official Nickname Is Constitution State.
1959 gave birth to this official nickname; however, the state goes by other names as follows:
| Nickname | Origin |
|---|---|
| Nutmeg State | Derived from the Connecticut peddlers who traveled to sell nutmegs. It was believed that early inhabitants of Connecticut made and sold wooden nutmegs. Another story claimed that unfamiliar consumers cracked nutmegs like walnuts instead of grating the wooden shells. |
| Provisions State | Connecticut supplied most of the cannons and food for the Continental forces during the Revolutionary War. |
| Land of Steady Habits | Penned about the strict morals of people in Connecticut |
| Connecticuter | Webster’s New International Dictionary, 1993 |
| Connecticotian | Cotton Mather, 1702 (unused) |
| Connecticutensian | Samuel Peters, 1781 (unused) |
| Nutmegger | From the nickname Nutmeg State |
2. Hartford, Its Capital, Is Known as the “Insurance Capital of the World.”
Hartford is home to many firsts. The US’ first public payphone was installed here by William Gray in 1889. It also was nicknamed the Insurance Capital of the World for its high concentration of insurance industry jobs.
3. New England’s Longest River is the Connecticut River.
The river is 410 miles long and passes through four states. It was designated as the “long tidal river.”
4. Fundamental Orders Was the First Document to Establish a Democratic Representative Government.
What is Connecticut known for in history? Thomas Hooker, with a large group of Puritans from Massachusetts, founded the Colony of Connecticut at Hartford in 1636, looking for freedom of religion. In 1639, they adopted Fundamental Orders, considered the first document to establish a democratic representative government.
5. General Putnam Said the Famous Statement, ‘Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes.’
Connecticut was among the first colonies to rise against English rule. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, Putnam made the famous statement, ‘Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.’
6. Yale University Is in New Haven.
If you’re wondering, ‘What is Connecticut famous for?’ Yale University ranks among the top.
Located in New Haven, this ivy league private research university was founded in 1701 and is the third oldest educational institution in the US.
7. Scoville Memorial Library Was the US’ First Publicly Funded Library.
As the US’s oldest publicly funded library, it began its collection in 1771. Richard Smith, a local blast furnace owner, used community contributions to buy 200 books from London to Salisbury.
8. The World Wrestling Federation’s Headquarters Are in Stamford.
The WWF was founded in 1952, which was then called Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It went through many changes until eventually becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.
9. The Essex Steam Railway
Enjoy Connecticut’s spectacular sceneries aboard a train that runs on tracks initially laid in 1868.
10. The Mystic Seaport
Be awed by the last wooden whaling ship in the world and the oldest commercial vessel in the US that still sails.
11. Lobster Rolls
What food is Connecticut known for? Lobster Rolls is one.
Invented in 1929 at the Connecticut restaurant Perry’s Milford, this hot buttered delicacy is often called Connecticut Style. One variation is the Lobster Salad Roll, served with mayo and celery. You can also find them in other New England destinations.
12. Steamed Cheeseburger
This central Connecticut specialty is said to be invented at Jack’s Lunch restaurant in Middletown. Topped with cheese and steamed in tiny stainless-steel boxes before serving on a roll, you get a juicy burger with toppings of your choice. Food trucks serve them around Hartford, but you can get one at famous eateries like Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden.
13. Apizza
If you want to know what other food Connecticut is known for, Apizza fits the bill.
Apizza is an Italian-inspired cuisine with a charred thin crust. Among the famous pizzerias in the county include the Holy Trinity of New Haven-style pizza – Sally’s Apizza (1938), Modern Apizza (1934), and Frank Pepe’s (1925).
14. PEZ Candy
PEZ Candy is made in Orange, Connecticut, also home to the PEZ Visitor’s Center. It has memorabilia, history, and trivia about the classic candy.
15. Produce
What is Connecticut known for producing? The state’s most important crops include poultry, tobacco, forest and nursery, dairy, fruit, and vegetables.
16. Fruits
If you want to know what fruit Connecticut is known for, here’s a quick list, including when they are in season:
| Fruit | Season |
|---|---|
| Apple | July to October |
| Blueberry | July and August |
| Cantaloupe | August and September |
| Cherry | July |
| Cranberry | October to December |
| Grape | September and October |
| Melon | July to October |
| Peach | July to September |
17. Famous Births
| Sector | Person |
|---|---|
| Politics | George W. Bush (New Haven) |
| Entertainment | Meg Ryan (Fairfield) |
| Arts & Literature | Mark Twain (Fairfield, writer) |
| Arts & Literature | Harriet Beecher Stowe (Fairfield, writer) |
| Arts & Literature | Noah Webster (West Hartford, author, first dictionary published in 1806) |
| Nobel Prize | John H. van Vleck (Physics, 1977) |
| Nobel Prize | George P. Smith (Chemistry, 2018) |
18. Lollipops
What is Connecticut known for? Inventions! This sweet confection was concocted in New Haven in 1908. George Smith ingeniously put hard candies on sticks, then named them Lolly Pop, a racehorse. He trademarked the term at the Bradley Smith Company, New Haven, in 1931.
19. Can Opener
Ezra Warner from Waterbury invented the first US can opener in 1858. Since then, grocery stores carried can openers so store clerks could open cans for customers who didn’t have them at home.
20. ESPN
Bill Rasmussen founded ESPN in Bristol and initially aired locally. But on September 7, 1979, 1.4 million cable subscribers enjoyed this invention of the century.
21. Vulcanized Rubber
Charles Goodyear from New Haven experimented on some raw rubber until he created a product that soared in the market.
22. Polaroid
The inventor, Edwin Land, was born in Connecticut, but some sources say that the first instant photograph maker was sold in Boston around 1934.
23. Frisbee
College students from Yale University were having fun, tossing empty pie tins around. Before long, the ‘nameless’ fun gizmo took its name after the defunct bakery from where the tins were borrowed – Frisbie Pie Co.
24. USS Nautilus (SSN 571)
Built in 1954 in Groton, the USS Nautilus was the first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Large but fast, it completed its underwater voyage up to the North Pole in 1958.
25. Portable Typewriter
Thanks to George Canfield Blickensderfer, the first portable typewriter weighed lighter and had fewer parts than its earlier non-portable predecessors.
26. Hartford Courant Is the Oldest Newspaper in Connecticut.
Hartford Courant, established in October 1764, is the oldest newspaper in Connecticut, even before the US was a nation. Thomas Green and Ebenezer Watson started it as a weekly newspaper, and it’s still spreading the news today!
27. Music Vale Was the First Music School in the US.
Music Vale was US’ first music school that opened in 1835 in Salem. It burned down long ago, but some exhibits and paintings are at the Salem Historical Society.
28. First Woman to Receive a US Patent
In May 1809, Mary Kies from South Killingly was the first woman to receive a US patent for entwining straw with silk and thread to make hats.
29. New Haven Had the First Telephone Subscribers.
On January 1878, 21 New Haven citizens became the world’s first subscribers to a telephone exchange service.
30. Copper Coinage
Dr. Samuel Higley from Simsbury started the first copper coinage in the US in 1737, but the metal was discovered in 1705. Interestingly, the copper mine became the New-Gate Prison of the Revolutionary War.
31. The Phonebook
Published by the New Haven District Telephone Company in February 1878, it only listed fifty names on a cardboard piece.
32. Automobile Law
Passed by Connecticut in May 1901, city speed limits were set at 12 miles per hour. Country road limits were set at 15 miles per hour.
33. Uncommon Laws
Of the fun facts about Connecticut, this is out of the ordinary. Because in Hartford, Connecticut’s capital, some laws don’t quite say ‘normal’:
- Kite flying is a big no on the streets.
- Don’t cross the streets walking on your hands.
- Never walk backward after sunset.
- Dog education is forbidden.
- It is illegal to keep town records where liquor is sold.
Together with Rhode Island, Connecticut didn’t ratify the 18th Amendment (prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol).
34. Steam-Powered Cider Mill
The only steam-powered cider mill in the US is B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill, located in Mystic. Still family-run since 1881, it gives out apple wine, hard cider, and apple doughnuts during its opening season from September to December.
35. Official State People
| Person | Award |
|---|---|
| Charles Edward Ives | State Composer |
| Prudence Crandall | State Heroine |
| Nathan Hale | State Hero |
Conclusion: What Is Connecticut Known For?
What is Connecticut known for? A lot! From famous people to unique inventions, its fame magnet is strengthened by its beautiful sceneries topped by a versatile four-season climate. The state has a fantastic culture influenced by creativity, and you can experience it all when you dine, shop, or embark on adventures in this historic district.