23 Interesting Connecticut Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published July 30, 2021

The word "Connecticut" is from anglicized spellings of "quononoquett," a Mohegan-Pequot word for "long tidal river."_[1]
Connecticut and New Haven colonies established the Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in America._[5]
Connecticut's nicknames are the "Constitution State," the "Nutmeg State," the "Provisions State," and the "Land of the Steady Habits."_[5]
Scoville Library in Salisbury, Connecticut, is the first free library that was open to the public in the United States._[4]
Yale University was the first school in the United States to offer a PhD._[5]
Famous inventions from Connecticut include the can opener, submarine, and the telephone book._[5]

Hold on to your hats!

In 1901, Connecticut set the first speed limit in the United States at12 mph._[1]
Connecticuter Mary Kies (1752–1837) was the first woman to receive a U.S. Patent; it was for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread._[5]
The first lollipop was invented in Connecticut. On October 13, 1931, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the name "Lolly Pop" to the Bradley Smith Company of New Haven._[3]
In 1977, Connecticut designated the praying mantis as its state insect. "Mantis" is a Greek word meaning "prophet" or "diviner."_[4]
Connecticut's state tree is the Charter Oak. In 1687, a colonial hero hid Connecticut's royal charter in an oak tree when the king tried take the charter back._[5]
Connecticut was home to Samuel Colt, the inventor of the revolver._[1]
Connecticut is known as the Provisional State because during the Revolutionary War, the state sent supplies and cannons to the Continental Army._[5]
George W. Bush is the only U.S. president, to date, born in Connecticut._[4]
Bristol, Connecticut, is referred to as "Mum City," USA, because of the large number of chrysanthemums that grow there._[4]

The name "chrysanthemum" is from the ancient Greek "chrysos" (gold) and "anthemon" (flower)

Mark Twain lived in Connecticut from 1874–1891. He wrote many of his best-known works while living there, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper._[4]
Yale University granted the first medical degree in the United States in 1723._[5]
Orange, Connecticut, is home to the PEZ factory, which includes a collection of PEZ dispensers._[4]

The collection once belonged to neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing, who preserved the brains from 1903–1932

Connecticut is home to the Cushing Brain Collection, which houses over 400 human brains._[5]
The Connecticut state animal is the sperm whale._[4]
Mystic Seaport in Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the world._[5]
The first women's golf tournament in the United States took place in Waterbury, Connecticut, on June 12, 1917._[5]
Benchmark Senior Living in Ridgefield, Connecticut, created the longest friendship bracelet in the world in August 2016. It measures 2,166 feet 11.16 inches._[2]