1 New Haven, CT produced the first telephone book in the country. It only contained 50 names and was published in 1878.
2 The oldest public library in the U.S. sits in Connecticut. The Scoville Memorial Library was founded in 1771 when Richard Smith purchased 200 books that could be borrowed and returned on the third Monday of every third month.
3 The oldest continuously published newspaper, The Hartford Courant, was first established in 1764.
4 Settlers first made their way to Connecticut in 1636 and settled in what is now known as Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield.
5 PEZ candy is produced in the city of Orange, Connecticut.
6 Before European settlers arrived, the area that would become Connecticut was inhabited by many different Native American tribes. Connecticut received its name from the word "Quinnehtukqut," which means "upon the long river."
7 Although Connecticut is the third smallest state in the country, it's the fourth most densely populated.
8 World famous sports channel ESPN was started in Bristol, Connecticut in 1979.
9 Connecticut native Mary Kies was the first female to be given a U.S. patent in 1809.
10 Connecticut imposed the first speed limit laws in 1901. At that time, drivers could not drive over 15 miles per hour.
11 Connecticut was home to numerous literary icons, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and Noah Webster (who would go on to create the Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
12 Connecticut's state bird is the robin, and its state flower is the mountain laurel.
13 Famous "nutmeggers" include John Mayer, J.P. Morgan, Katherine Hepburn, Annie Proulx, Christopher Lloyd, John Brown, Jonathan Edwards, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
14 In 1966, dinosaur tracks were discovered in Rocky Hill, CT.
15 Connecticut produced the first color television in 1948 and the first helicopter in 1939.
16 Along with its neighbor Rhode Island, Connecticut never ratified the 18th amendment that prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol.
17 Nathan Hale, a Revolutionary war spy and soldier, was born in Connecticut. He was hanged in 1776 for his crimes against the crown, but was made Connecticut's official state hero in 1985.
18 Connecticut is known as the Constitution State because the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, written in 1639, is considered to be history’s first ever written constitution.
19 Connecticut is responsible for building the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, in 1954. Today, the submarine serves as a museum.
20 The first hamburger was reportedly created in New Haven, Connecticut after a customer was in a rush and wanted something quick to go.
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