On this day in 1918, a division full of new Connecticut recruits encountered their first taste of modern warfare in a small village in northeastern France, repelling a regiment of elite German troops and holding the front lines against all odds. The US 26th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Yankee Division because all of its…
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March 14: Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin
Today in 1794, Eli Whitney, one of Connecticut’s most influential inventors, received a patent for the Cotton Gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by optimizing the time-intensive task of cleaning seeds from raw cotton bolls. Born in Massachusetts in 1765, Eli exhibited both interest in talent in manufacturing at an early…
July 10: Connecticut’s Worst Tornado Outbreak
On this day in Connecticut history, the worst recorded tornado outbreak in state history tore through the state, as multiple twisters killed two people, devastated a historic forest, and left behind numerous trails of destruction in their wake. While local meteorologists had warned local residents about the high potential for severe weather on July…