1. On September 2, 1789, the first meeting of the United States Congress was held in New York City. Two Connecticut delegates, William Samuel Johnson and Roger Sherman, were part of the 69-member group that met to establish the rights and freedoms of the American people.

2. In 1862, during the American Civil War, Connecticut Governor William Buckingham signed a law that exempted Quakers and members of other pacifist religious groups from military service. This law added to the reputation Connecticut earned as a supporter of abolition and civil rights.

3. On September 2, 1938, a massive hurricane struck Connecticut, killing over 600 people and causing extensive damage to the state's infrastructure. The storm, which came to be known as the Great New England Hurricane, remains one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in American history.

4. The first patient was admitted to the Hartford Hospital on September 2, 1854. Originally named the City Hospital, it was founded to provide medical care to Hartford's poor and needy residents, and has since grown to become one of Connecticut's premier healthcare facilities.

5. In 2008, Connecticut native and former major league baseball player Burl Ives was posthumously inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame. Ives, who was also a successful actor, folk singer, and author, is best known for his Christmas classic "A Holly Jolly Christmas."