What Happened In Connecticut? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hartford

Witchcraft was deadly serious in 17th century Connecticut. The Bible, on which Connecticut Puritan settlers based all aspects of their lives, was clear: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

Answer: Newgate Prison

"This establishment is designed to be, for all its arrangements, an object of terror, and everything is accordingly contrived, to make the life endured in it as burdensome and miserable as possible." This was British traveler Edward Kendall's grim assessment in 1807 of Newgate Prison in East Granby, Connecticut.

Answer: The world's first working manned submarine.

The submarine was fashioned from two large pieces of oak fitted together and held tight by iron bands. A coat of tar made it watertight. Because the craft resembled two turtle shells fashioned together, Bushnell's friends nicknamed it "The Turtle".

Answer: dark

Friday, May 19th, 1780 dawned partly cloudy with light rain showers. Darkness first appeared at 8:00 AM and by 11:00 the sky was so dark birds returned to their roosts and people had to light candles to prepare the midday meal.
The sky began to clear at 2:00 PM and people were able to return to their activities. No satisfactory explanation was ever found and many feared that the Judgement Day was upon them.

Answer: Cookbook

Simmons' "American Cookery", published in Hartford, CT in 1796 was the first compilation of recipes and culinary advice written by an American to meet the unique needs of the new nation's kitchens. Recipes included the use of corn, pumpkin and turkey, items previously unknown to Old World cooks.

Answer: Perkin's Tractors

Comprised of two short metal rods of dissimilar metal, Perkin's Tractors claimed to eliminate even severe pain and cure a variety of diseases simply by drawing them across the afflicted area! Thousands swore by them and they were sold on both sides of the Atlantic until skeptics finally succeeded in debunking them.

Answer: Lee's Windham Bilious Pills

Two centuries ago "biliousness" was the catchall diagnosis for a broad variety of gastrointestinal ailments, from constipation to appendicitis. For generations of Americans, the cure-all for this silly sounding condition, as well as an assortment of other ailments, was the first ever medicament patented in the United States - pills formulated by Dr. Samuel Lee Jr. of Windham Ct., Lee's Windham Bilious Pills.

Answer: He mass produced clocks on an assembly line with interchangable parts

Just two centuries ago, clocks were made one at a time using a process that could take months just to produce one clock. Owning a clock back then was a symbol of prosperity and clocks were taxed as luxury items. Eli Terry revolutionized the clock making industry by assembling clocks on a production line using interchangeable parts.

His method lowered the cost of clocks to the point where most anyone could afford to own one.

Answer: Vulcanized Rubber

1n 1834, a hardware store owner, Charles Goodyear became obsessed with a substance called "Gum Elastic", or "India Rubber". Charles realized that whoever could unlock the secret to making this substance stable would be rewarded with fame and fortune. Five years later in 1839, Charles accidentally brushed against a hot stove a concoction of India rubber, sulfur and white lead.

The resulting compound became what we call today "vulcanized rubber". Charles never lived long enough to profit from his discovery.

He died $200,000 in debt in 1860. His invention, however, lives on in its many forms including the tires we use on our vehicles.

Answer: Anesthesia

One December night in 1844, Wells and his wife went to a demonstration by Gardner Quincy Colton of the amusingly animating effects produced by inhaling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. Audience members raced round the room while under its effects performing amusing antics. Wells noticed a deep gash one of the participants had received on his leg while racing around seemed to cause him no discomfort. Wells immediately realized the potential of such a pain blocker in his practice of dentistry.