Amazing Tales from Off the Beaten Path

World War II Could Not Have Been Won Without Connecticut

Connecticut’s industrial manufacturers were huge contributors to military success in World War Two. From half the aircraft engines used in the war (made by Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford) to submarines (Electric Boat, Groton), a large percentage of the billions of bullets used and guns for soldiers (Remington Arms, Bridgeport), and large and small items: “G-force” suits to allow pilots to maneuver their planes without losing consciousness, radar advancements, parachutes, rubber boots, ball bearings, air compressors for torpedoes, and periscopes. Hear the impressive story from Sharon Cohen, who has written a book that documents these fascinating contributions.

The Day 2 Rolling Skulls Revealed a CT Vampire Grave

Two boys playing in a sand and gravel pit 30 years ago came across two human skulls that led to a truly bizarre investigation – the unearthing of a suspected vampire grave. CT’s State Archeologist at the time, Dr. Nick Bellantoni, has continued to work for the past few decades, even into retirement, with a folklorist who specializes in vampires to tentatively identify the individual whose initials – J.B. – were at first all he had to go on.

The Life-Saving Miracle at Yale New Haven Hospital

It was nothing short of a miracle. A woman was barely hanging on to life at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1942. She had been running a fever of 106 degrees for four weeks, and doctors were out of options. A new treatment – never before tried in the U.S. – brought her back to life in less than 24 hours. Hear the incredible story about the first use of penicillin in the U.S. from the Director of Infection Prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital, Dr. Richard Martinello.

CT Won the Cigar War by Actually Creating a Weather Climate

Soil and climate are two critical factors in agriculture, especially for CT’s tobacco farmers. CT leads the world in the profitable crop of cigar wrapper leaves, thanks largely to these two points. However, while the state had excellent soil, it didn’t have the right climate to overtake market leader Sumatra, in Asia. So, in the 1800s CT literally created its own weather climate over 1% of the land in the state. Wait until you hear the story from topic expert John Cilio.

An Extremely Unique Gated CT Community

One of the oldest gated communities in CT started as the result of Jewish firefighters in Queens, NY wanting to get their children out of the city during a polio outbreak. The firefighters transformed a virgin, 600-acre site by hand into a gorgeous and serene community, featuring what is still one of the most pristine lakes in western CT. Over the years, summer bungalows have been replaced by year-round housing in the Lake Waubeeka community. And, one of the country’s most famous musical legends spent her summers growing up there. The story is told by a professor of Jewish history, a long-time resident, and the author of a book on Lake Waubeeka, Jeffrey Gurock.

The Famous Russians Who Fled Their Revolution for Southbury

When Stalin overthrew the czars in Russia in 1917, many famous Russians made their way to CT, where they created a colony for famous intellectuals. The so-called Russian Village is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was started by Russian literary giant Ilya Tolstoy, son of famed writer Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace. The Village was started 100 years ago this year. The back story is incredible – especially when told by 92-year-old Natasha Jahrsdoerfer, whose vivid recollections from when she lived there at age 3 paint a world that we will never see again.

The ABCs of EVs in CT 130 YearsAgo

Step aside Elon Musk … the first mass-produced electric vehicle wasn’t a TESLA made in California … it was a Columbia Motor Carriage, made in Hartford. And, a critical invention involving rubber developed in Seymour (but not for tires) made it all possible. CT was the nationwide leader in car manufacturing in 1897, when 50% of the cars on the road were powered by electricity (rather than the less than 5% today). How the industries of EVs and rubber came together 130 years ago is told by Joe Iamartino, Chief Technology Officer of the Marmon Electrical Group, owner of the Seymour firm that contributed its technology.

CT’s Own ”Field of Dreams” Baseball Story

He was a standout pitcher for the Pittsburg Pirates – one of four Pirates pitchers from the same extended family in northwestern Connecticut in the 1960s. Steve Blass, who had the longest and most successful career of the four graduates of Housatonic Valley Regional High School, played his earliest baseball on the Town of Canaan’s Segalla Field – a Field of Dreams style setting. He remains the last National League pitcher to throw a complete 9 innings in the 7^th game of a World Series – the 1971 series, in which he pitched two complete games. Only one other human has done that. Hear his incredible story, from Connecticut to Pittsburgh.

The Longest Running Newspaper in the Whole U.S.

There are many newspapers in the U.S. that have a legitimate claim to an impressive publishing legacy. None, however, matches the record of the Hartford Courant. The paper has been publishing continuously for nearly 260 years, making it the longest running newspaper in the entire United States. There’s a lot that goes into putting out a newspaper, and the fact that this streak remains uninterrupted is impressive beyond words. Join in for a discussion about life at the Courant, and its remarkable history, with the paper’s longtime Capitol Bureau Chief Chris Keating.

George Washington Slept Here - Or Did He?

George Washington made 10 trips through Connecticut during his life – from his younger years to his time commanding the Continental Army, and finally as the first U.S. President. While he traveled through numerous CT communities, there are only about 10 houses still standing where he actually spent at least one night, although there are many more claims about where he stayed. Listen to this episode to separate the fact from fiction and for stories about Washington’s travels through CT – several of them critical to the outcome of the Revolutionary War – from an expert on that period, Dr. Robert Selig.