Connecticut is a state that is truly loaded with history. From being one of the thirteen original colonies to our involvement in the Revolutionary War, these are the things that history books highlight when it comes to the Nutmeg State. But there are some insane things that happened that you won’t find in most Connecticut history books.
1. Mohegan Sun Casino holds the Guinness world record for having the most slot machines running the same game at the same time. This record was achieved with 1,610 machines in 2013.
2. The idea of branding animals did not originate out in the Wild West. In fact it began here in Connecticut when a law was passed that made farmers have to give an identification mark to their pigs.
3. The Polaroid Camera was just one of many inventions to be born in Connecticut. Its inventor, Edward Land patented 535 inventions in his time, second only to Thomas Edison in America.
4. The first medical degree in the United States was granted in Connecticut. It was an honorary degree awarded by Yale University in 1723 to Daniel Turner, a London doctor, for his donation of books to the school.
5. The state of Connecticut was the only one of two states that decided alcohol should stay legal. Connecticut and Rhode Island both did not ratify the 18th amendment which prohibited the sale and manufacturing of alcohol.
6. The Guinness Book of World Records holder for the longest friendship bracelet ever created is right here in Connecticut. It was created by Benchmark Senior Living in Ridgefield and measures 2,166 ft and 11.16 in. The record was set in August of 2016.
8. The first public coin telephone (pay phone) was installed in a Hartford, Connecticut bank in 1889. The telephone was a post pay design meaning you deposited coins after the call was made. How times have changed.
10. At the end of World War I, a huge epidemic of the Spanish Flu swept through the state of Connecticut. Around 8500-9000 people died and over one quarter of the population were sick with the disease.
11. The first integrated school in the United States was created in Connecticut. Prudence Crandall, a Quaker school teacher admitted the daughter of a free African American farmer to her boarding school located in Canterbury.
