Connecticut Facts You Probably Never Knew But Now You Do

There are some Connecticut facts you just don’t learn in school, which is a shame because we have some pretty fun tidbits! One of the oldest states in the nation, we’re part of the 13 original colonies. That means we have more history than a lot of states, and it’s filled with ups, downs, and just plain crazy. But we’ve gathered some of our favorite Connecticut facts right here for you to enjoy:

Connecticut is considered the most haunted state in the country. Ed & Lorraine Warren have declared several sites demonically possessed, there’s a cursed town, and even haunted hiking trails. You never know where you might see a ghost.

sanpani/Flickr

Connecticut is the birthplace of President George W. Bush, and so far he’s the only president to come out of the state.

captain-tucker/Wikimedia Commons

Connecticut is one of only two states (the other is Rhode Island) that refused to ratify the 18th amendment. However, the state gave in after only five months, mostly due to an increase in crime caused by entrepreneurs attempting to make a racket.

Gene.Arboit/Wikimedia Commons

Started in 1771, the Scoville Memorial Library is the oldest public library in the country. It was started by Richard Smith and the returning and exchanging of books took place four times a year on the third Monday of every third month.

Phinisi Stewart/Wikimedia Commons

Cattle branding in the United States was a practice established for organizational purposes and it started in Connecticut. A law was passed that required all farmers to mark their pigs and the rest is history!

Sorrel filly 13~commonswiki/Wikimedia Commons

Between daily, weekly, monthly, and Sunday publications it’s estimated that Connecticut has 144 papers.

Vin Crosbie/Flickr

Bristol is referred to as “Mum City, USA” because of the large supply of chrysanthemums grown and sold there.

Rohan Singh/Flickr

Connecticut was at the forefront of vehicle law, being the first state to establish speed limits and to require license plates. But the speed limit was only 12 mph!

Don O’Brien/Flickr

The PEZ factory is right here in Orange and it includes an incredible collection of PEZ dispensers.

Jean Y./Yelp

West Haven is actually one of the oldest settlements in the country, but this is often forgotten since the town wasn’t officially incorporated in Connecticut until 1972, making it the state’s youngest city.

Pedro Xing/Wikimedia Commons

The state animal is the sperm whale. This often gets a few chuckles from the kids.

Kurzon/Wikimedia Commons

Mystic Seaport is the largest maritime museum in the world. If you haven’t had a chance to visit, add it to your bucket list immediately!

Mystic Seaport/Facebook

There’s no agreed upon word to call a person from Connecticut. If residents were forced to choose, and luckily we’re not, most would say Nutmegger. But it her nicknames include Yankee and Connecticotian.

Vladimir Postovit/Flickr

Connecticut was home to two prolific authours- both Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe- who happened to be neighbors in Hartford.

Billy Hathorn/Wikimedia Commons

Dinosaur tracks were discovered in Rocky Hill in 1966 and you can still go see them! It’s an incredible piece of history that always leave visitors amazed.

Diderot/Wikimedia Commons

These Connecticut facts give you an idea of the state, but what about the people who live there? Check out our list of Weird Things Nutmeggers Do and find out if you’re really one of us!