CONNECTICUT
State Information
Nickname: The Constitution State
Motto(s): He who transplanted still sustains.
State song(s): Yankee Doodle
Capital: Hartford
Largest City: Bridgeport
Admitted to US: 1/9/1788
Brief History
Connecticut played a significant role in the Revolutionary War, serving as the Army’s major supplier.
Here are a few interesting facts:
It produced the first nuclear-powered submarine.
Yale University was founded in 1701 and is the third oldest in the nation.
A few famous people include George W. Bush (president), Nathan Hale (founder), Eli Whitney (inventor), PEZ Candy Company, Dorothy Hamill (Olympic gold medalist), Mark Twain (author), Samuel Colt (inventor), and many others.
Interesting Stories
Charles Goodyear was born in New Haven. He started tinkering with rubber in the hopes that he could use it to make inflatable tires. He and his wife comprised the entire research department. The two tried one thing after another and failed each time. In one last attempt, he added some stinky sulfur. The outcome made the rubber strong and pliable. But he died a few years later without making any money from his discovery. Another forty years passed before Mr. Seiberling read about Charles’ success using sulfur and formed the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Everyone knows Charles Goodyear, but few remember Mr. Seiberling. Fame is often associated with power and money, but sometimes it plays no role.
Pratt & Whitney is located in East Hartford. They are one of the largest builders of jet engines, employing 38 thousand workers and producing a revenue stream of $15 billion. Their engines are of the highest quality, so it’s of little surprise that they power 25 percent of the world’s passenger aircraft and also provide a large portion of military aircraft engines. They have a liquid space propulsion division in Florida and solid rocket propulsion in San Jose, CA. This company is one of the finest aircraft engine manufacturers.
Henry Andrews Mucci, from Bridgeport, led a force of 121 Army Rangers on a mission to rescue 513 survivors of the Bataan Death March. The prisoners were being held in a jungle prison camp. Messages were intercepted indicating that the prisoners were to be executed because of the advancing American Army. With only 48 hours to plan, they assembled the necessary men and trekked through the jungle until they reached the edge of the prison. One by one, they eliminated the guards who outnumbered them by double. He surprised his enemy and rescued 513 prisoners. Colonel Mucci lost only two men and was a true Connecticut hero. Heroes make America strong.
P. T. Barnum hailed from Bethel, CT. He became famous as a circus organizer known for “The Greatest Show on Earth.” He entered the circus business when he was 60 and traveled the mid-west with his show. He later partnered with James Bailey to form the Barnum & Bailey Circus, which toured the world. He staunchly opposed slavery and was a firm believer in philanthropy. He gave $50 thousand in 1883 to beautify Bridgeport and also made numerous gifts to Tufts University. He has many oft-quoted phrases like: “Every crowd has a silver lining,” and his most famous, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Laura Ingraham was born and grew up in Connecticut. She was a speechwriter for President Regan and later clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Before switching to radio, she was a commentator with MSNBC, where she launched her own Laura Ingraham show on 300+ stations. In 2017, the Fox News Channel gave her her talk show – The Ingraham Angle. It is currently the top primetime show with over 3 million viewers.