1. In 1867, the first public school for deaf children opened in Hartford, Connecticut. The American School for the Deaf was founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc and is still in operation today.

2. In 1895, the first automobile ambulance was put into service in New Haven, Connecticut. The vehicle was a converted electric wagon and was used to transport injured patients to the hospital.

3. On February 13, 1984, Yale University announced that it would begin admitting women to its undergraduate program. Previously, Yale had only accepted women as graduate students and in certain professional schools.

4. In 2003, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to equal protection under the law and that denying them the right to marry is unconstitutional. This was the first time a state high court had ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

5. On February 13, 1635, the Connecticut Colony declared its independence from Massachusetts. The colony was founded by English Puritans who were looking for religious freedom and a new start in the New World. It eventually became one of the original 13 colonies and played a key role in the American Revolution.