It Happened in Connecticut: Stories of Events and People That Shaped Nutmeg State History

by Diana Ross McCain

From making ammunition for the Revolutionary War out of a King George statue to America’s first cookbook, It Happened in Connecticut looks at intriguing people and episodes from the history of the Nutmeg State.

Learn about the little-known witch trials that took place throughout Connecticut nearly fifty years before the infamous events in Salem. Follow the inspiring story of Thomas Gallaudet, the man who established the nation’s first school for the deaf in Hartford, which today operates as the American School for the Deaf. And discover the origins of the character Sherlock Holmes, originally played by Connecticut native, William Gillette.

196 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2023

About the author

Diana Ross McCain is an independent historian who has been researching, writing, and speaking about Connecticut and New England’s past for more than thirty years. She was on the staff of the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford for twenty-five years.

Diana is the author of several non-fiction books, including It Happened in Connecticut, New England Myths and Mysteries, and Connecticut Coast, all published by Globe Pequot Press; and the award-winning To All on Equal Terms: the Life and Legacy of Prudence Crandall. She has also written extensively for publications such as Early American Life and Connecticut magazines. Thy Children’s Children is her first novel.

Diana holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, and a master’s degree in library science. A native of Ohio, Diana lives in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Kate Pipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book with vignettes throughout Connecticut’s history. Even being from here, I didn’t know a good amount of these stories.