1. In 1783, Connecticut became the first state to abolish slavery. On November 2 of that year, the state's General Assembly passed the Gradual Abolition Act, which prohibited the importation of slaves and set a deadline for the gradual emancipation of all slaves born after March 1, 1784.

2. On November 2, 1875, Yale University's football team played its first intercollegiate game against Wesleyan University, winning 8-0. This marked the beginning of what would become one of the longest and most storied rivalries in college football.

3. In 1936, the first suspension bridge in Connecticut opened to traffic. The Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, also known as the Q Bridge, spans the New Haven Harbor and connects the towns of New Haven and East Haven. The bridge was designed by renowned engineer William G. McAdoo, who also helped design the Panama Canal.

4. On November 2, 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited Connecticut to campaign for the Democratic Party's candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. While in Danbury, he gave a speech that would become famous for its poignant defense of civil liberties and individual freedom.

5. In 2000, the town of Enfield made national headlines when a six-year-old boy was banned from dressing up as a Power Ranger for Halloween at his elementary school. The controversy sparked a heated debate about freedom of expression and the role of schools in regulating students' clothing.