1. In 1901, the Connecticut State Normal School, now known as Central Connecticut State University, held its first summer session.

2. On July 20, 1969, the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the New London Day newspaper, based in Connecticut, won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of a devastating flood that hit the state in 1968.

3. In 1976, the town of Glastonbury hosted the inaugural Glastonbury Music Festival, which eventually became known as the Litchfield Jazz Festival.

4. On July 20, 1999, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the state's death penalty was unconstitutional, making Connecticut the second state in the country to abolish capital punishment.

5. In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, resulting in the deaths of 26 people, including 20 children. The tragedy sparked a nationwide conversation about gun violence and gun control legislation.