[STEVEN 1]

When I was considering a move to Connecticut I was curious about what the real Connecticut had to offer, save me the posh fru fru of FFC, what existed inside Connecticuts real people, the school teacher, the electrician, the police officer. I thought to myself if I were to move back to the area after many many years, would I have anything in common?

I am a guy who likes baseball, NASCAR, and an ocassional piece of candy, Connecticut and I have some common ground:

1. Driver of the number 22 Ford Fusion Joey Logano was born and raised in Middletown Connecticut. He won his first championship at age 7 in the Eastern Grand National Junior Stock Car Quarter Midget Division. He is also 2015 Daytona 500 winner and swept this weekends Watkins Glen New York road course with a win in both the Xfinity and Sprint Cup series races.

2. In 1953 at his home in Fairfield David N Mullaly invented a ball that his son and friends would refer to as a "whiff" if someone was to strikeout. To this day Wiffle Ball Inc. is still American made in Shelton Connecticut, and the kids and I still play in the backyard.

3. In 1973 Austria's Pez Candy built a factory in Orange Connecticut. Eduard Haas III was the creator and the candies were invented in 1927. Today Pez candies are produced in both Orange Connecticut and Traun Austria, it is estimated that Pez has about 3.6 million consumers per year in the United States consume the candies and collect the dispensers.

In my opinion Pez makes great stocking stuffers at the holidays for the kids that are of appropriate age. NASCAR drivers and Wiffle Ball are 2 sports I still have intersts in.

Please add any additional fun things about CT. that I may have left out.

[7 Wishes]

The word 'frisbee' comes from the Frisbee Pie Company of Bridgeport (the actual flying disc was invented in southern California though)

The chain Subway was started in Bridgeport in 1965 by Fred DeLuca

[STEVEN 1]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

The word 'frisbee' comes from the Frisbee Pie Company of Bridgeport (the actual flying disc was invented in southern California though)

The chain Subway was started in Bridgeport in 1965 by Fred DeLuca

Frisbee and hackey sack, played back in the 80's. Did not know about Subway but it does solve the argument, its not a wedge or hoagie, its a sub cause the bread the sandwhich is made on is shaped like a submarine.

[CT_Native]

Noah Webster, who wrote the dictionary (and was also a founding father), was born in CT.

Connecticut was the first state to enforce a speed limit (12 mph in 1901).

Hartford Courant is the oldest still-published newspaper in the US of A. (going since 1764)

[STEVEN 1]

Originally Posted by CT_Native

Noah Webster, who wrote the dictionary (and was also a founding father), was born in CT.

Connecticut was the first state to enforce a speed limit (12 mph in 1901).

Hartford Courant is the oldest still-published newspaper in the US of A. (going since 1764)

Interesting and nice to see a paper still going strong in todays digital age.

[AnonChick]

Whitney Avenue in New Haven is named after Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin and had a manufacturing plant in the city in the 1700's.

The first Reform Jewish Synagogue in the USA was Congregation Mishkan Israel, which began in the homes of its members, expanded to a building at Grand and State St. in New Haven, and found a permanent home in Hamden on Ridge Road.

Hartford was once known as the Insurance Capital of the World and in the 1800s was a significant hub for abolitionists (including the Beecher family, whose daughter, Harriet, wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin).

Bridgeport was the home base for P.T. Barnum, co-founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, which later became Ringling Bro's & Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum was also Mayor of Bridgeport and was involved in the founding of the Bridgeport Hospital.

Bette Davis lived in Westport, in what would be considered a modest house in "movie star" terms. It sold for less than a million dollars in 1998 and is still currently valued at under two million - cheap by Westport AND movie star standards, for well over an acre and over 4,000 square feet of home space.

The Whitfield House in Guilford is the oldest stone house in New England and one of the oldest free-standing houses in the country. It was built in 1639 and was restored in 1903.

The pumpkin associated with Halloween jack-o-lanterns in the USA originates in Connecticut; its official name is the Connecticut Field Pumpkin.

[willow wind]

David Bushnell, of Westbrook, is credited with inventing the first submarine used in combat while he was studying at Yale in 1775



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bushnell

[STEVEN 1]

This is all good stuff

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by STEVEN 1

When I was considering a move to Connecticut I was curious about what the real Connecticut had to offer, save me the posh fru fru of FFC, what existed inside Connecticuts real people, the school teacher, the electrician, the police officer. I thought to myself if I were to move back to the area after many many years, would I have anything in common?

So the school teacher, electrician, and cops who bust their a$$es in fru fru FFC aren't real enough for you?
Tell that to the school teacher I sleep with every night going into her 23rd year, who has to deal with 23 eight year olds every day.
Anyway CT has a fair share of trailer parks and missing teeth, so yes you would fit right in.

[STEVEN 1]

Originally Posted by Raider111

So the school teacher, electrician, and cops who bust their a$$es in fru fru FFC aren't real enough for you?
Tell that to the school teacher I sleep with every night going into her 23rd year, who has to deal with 23 eight year olds every day.
Anyway CT has a fair share of trailer parks and missing teeth, so yes you would fit right in.

What are you talking about? I wanted to explore the Connecticut that did not care about the distance or influence of NYC, never said the people who worked in FFC were bad but lets be honest school teachers, police, and electricians are not Wall Street millionaires and neither am I.

You must be from that area because you were very quick to insinuate that because I was looking for something different I must be a hick and live in a trailer park, my wife and I both continued education after high school and bring in a six figure salary, but you are right that I do like living in the country, drive a Dodge truck and watch NASCAR and listen to country music, not sure how that makes me a trailer park hick but whatever.

My post was about fun and interesting things I had found while researching the state and one of NASCAR's most popular drivers is from there.