Grating the Nutmeg

Are you a member of the 9/11 generation? Do you wonder how 9/11 and its aftermath affected kids who witnessed the terrorist attack on the U.S. 16 years ago? In this episode CCSU history professor Matt Warshauer explores the 9/11 generation and wonders about the next generation who will have no emotional connection to it—right now half of high school students were born after 9/11. As Warshauer note...

       Listen as we take a Connecticut River Museum sunset excursion about the Onrust, a replica of the first European boat to enter the Connecticut, with a teller of tall tales and some very talented young artists - in search of a few million swallows.        You can travel on the Onrust too. After you listen, we'll bet you'll want to!  View Images from our excursion on the Onrust

  Two stories from eastern Connecticut: a Ride on the Air Line State Park Trail, a rail trail with history, and the story of artist Fidelia Bridges and her newly discovered connection to Old Lyme. Featuring Carolyn Wakeman and Jenny Parsons of the Florence Griswold Museum and their summer 2017 exhibition, Flora/Fauna: The Naturalist Impulse in American Art, on view through September 17, 2017. Read...

Listen to a recent book talk by author Elizabeth Poliner whose  novel  As Close to Us as Breathing  takes us  to the 1940's when Connecticut's beach colonies were segregated by ethnicity and religion. Poliner masterfully weaves the story of a multi-generational Jewish family and a fatal accident in 1948, all set in "Bagel Beach"  a real Jewish beach colony in Milford, Connecticut.  We also visit t...

Listen to the compelling story of Caroline Ferriday--and how she inspired a New York Times bestselling historical novel. Ferriday's summer home, the Bellamy-Ferriday House in Bethlehem, Connecticut, recently hosted hundred of fans who came out to hear Martha Hall Kelly tell how she was inspired by a visit there to write her novel.   You'll be inspired to put a visit to Connecticut Landmarks's Bell...

Photo Courtesy of Donald Rogers          Hear three extraordinary World War I reenactors talk about what they do, why they do it, and what it all means. You'll go for a ride in a WWI ambulance, too. And, you'll meet Gayle Hall, who brought photos of her grandfather and his World War I medals to share with the State Library's NEH funded World War I digitization project.     View some great images,...

Hops, Beer and Hartford's Union Brewery Strike   Beer--that great cold drink! In 1902, Hartford's brewers went on strike. Find out what happened, explore the resurgence of hops growing in Connecticut, and visit the Hog River Brewery, one of the state's newest craft breweries. We wish to thank Steve Thornton, Dr. James LaMondia, Dr. Katja Mauer, Ben Braddock, and the CT Agricultural Experiment Stat...

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center—one of our nation's most important historic sites—has a fresh take on the house tour and a freshly renovated interior. Find out why you should visit this summer—plus a stroll through their historic garden and the award-winning plants you'll find there.   We wish to thank Katherine Kane, Judith Lohman, Beth Burgess, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. This episode...

          Rules 10 through 20 of P. T.  Barnum's  The Art of Money Getting or Golden Rules for Making Money  are Barnum at his best: wise, funny, clear and wonderfully useful still today. Hear how America's first media mega-mogul and 2nd ever millionaire made his millions - the honest way.  Good advice and good history. Give a listen.   

     Ready to ride the road to riches?      In part 2 of THE ART OF MONEY GETTING, you'll hear America's 2nd millionaire and first entertainment mega-mogul, P T Barnum, describe the first 10 rules for succeeding in business, and life. Written more than 150 years ago, the advice is as good today as int was back then. And it's written in Barnum's wise, witty, and of course, truly entertaining, style...

        This month, the "Greatest Show on Earth" folds its tent after a run of 146 years. To commemorate, we're honoring "The Greatest Showman on Earth", P T Barnum, with a look back at his life, and a full reading of his still so useful book, THE ART OF MONEY GETTING. " His 20 rules for achieving success and attaining wealth are still as sound as when he first wrote them, back in 1858. And no won...

The Amistad Center for Art & Culture in Hartford, which documents the history and art of people of African descent in America, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Connecticut Explored's Elizabeth Normen talks with executive director Frank Mitchell about the center's history and takes you on a tour of its special exhibition "30 for 30: Art, Agency, Legacy." The episode features music by Conn...

With equal doses of wit and bravado, hear the stories of New Britain's Stanley Works employees serving in France with World War I-era music recorded from the original records in the collection of Henry Arneth. For more Connecticut in World War I: Listen to episode 24 for a dramatic reading of Cleveland Moffett's 1915 fictional cautionary tale "The German invasion of Connecticut," and episode 25 fo...

Central Connecticut State University history professor Leah Glaser retells the story of Sam Colt's investment in the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company in the 1850s, a company that was incorporated in Cincinnati, Ohio to exploit silver mines in the new Arizona Territory. Colt never set foot in Arizona but that didn't mean he didn't pour energy, money, and firearms into the venture. Unfortunately,...

What was it like when a young schoolteacher from Connecticut arrived to teach in a rough frontier school in 1850? Find out in this podcast by Eastern Connecticut State University English professor Allison Speicher. Speicher tells us about why the famous Catharine Beecher, sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, was so driven to send New England school teachers to the west—and what those teachers found wh...

Museum of Connecticut History curator Dave Corrigan tells the forgotten story of the Connecticut National Guard's service on the Mexican border in 1916—the first test of these young soldiers in a hostile environment before they shipped out to France six months later. Part of our Commemorating World War I coverage. Recorded February 14, 2017 at the University of Hartford, part of the three-part Pre...

     This spring, Americans will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into World War I. This year and next, events around the state will explore and remember Connecticut's special role as the "Arsenal of the Nation" in the conflict once called "the war to end all wars."       To help whet your appetite for some of the surprising stories ahead, state historian Walt Woodward...

A celebration of the adventure, fun, and excitement of a road trip along the byways and back roads of America. Featuring the stories of the diners, motels, gas stations, and roadside amusements that are featured in Road Trip! , the New Haven Museum's exhibition on view through June 15, 2017. Visit ctexplored.org/shack-attack/ for photos and more information on Connecticut's roadside eateries, and...

The Smithsonian's Eric Hintz reveals why he featured Hartford as one of six places of invention in a special exhibition at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. Find out how Samuel Colt, Elisha Root, and Mark Twain figure into the story and the ingredients he's discovered that mark Connecticut as a standout place of invention in the late 19th century.   Visit ctexplored.org/li...

Celebrate Christmas in Connecticut with two stories – from Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Mark Twain House. Featuring music from Duke Ellington's Suite from the Nutcracker Ballet performed by the New England Jazz Ensemble.    Visit ctexplored.org/listen for links to  Connecticut Explored's photo essay on historic Connecticut-made and Connecticut-displayed Christmas decorations.     Make a gift to s...

    In this, the first of 2 special holiday episodes, we celebrate one of the best things about the holiday season - the stories people share with each other. We journey to Connecticut's Quiet Corner, where residents of the towns of Columbia and Lebanon met together on an evening in early November to share soup, dessert, and stories.       State Historian Walt Woodward emceed this events - held to...

What does it take to be considered innovative? What is Connecticut's history of innovation? Find out with this interview with Connecticut Historical Society curator Ilene Frank and exhibit designer Jordan Klein about their new exhibition Connecticut Innovates! on view November 11, 2016 to March 25, 2017.    Visit  ctexplored.org/listen  for links to stories about Connecticut's innovators: Sikorsky...

John Dempsey (1961-1971) was one of the most popular – and effective - governors Connecticut ever had. He was also the only immigrant governor of Connecticut since the colonial era, having been born in Cahir, Ireland in 1916. During his administration Connecticut - both state and government – was completely transformed, from one of the most tight-fisted American states to one of the most socially...

   Hear about Ruth Duncan's shocking discovery of her great great grandfather's connection to the notorious pirate William Gibbs and about who's clamored to get into—and escape from—Old New-Gate Prison over the last 240 years. After six years of a stabilization project, the popular historic site is on the verge of reopening to the public with an open house on October 22, 2016.        In our 17th e...

Some people say that young people these days just aren't that interested in history museums. Don't tell that to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, which has found a way to attract hundreds of twenty-and-thirty-somethings to drink in history at the birthplace of the man who helped define early America. Hear all about it in "Drinking in History with Noah Webster." See pictures on the Connectic...