1. Connecticut became a state on January 9, 1788, making it the fifth state to join the Union after Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia.
2. On January 1, 1818, the Connecticut legislature passed a law prohibiting the sale of liquor on Sundays, except for medicinal purposes. This law remained in effect until 1933 when Prohibition was repealed.
3. The Hartford Courant, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States, began printing on January 1, 1764. The paper is still in publication today and serves as a primary source of news for the state of Connecticut.
4. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, declaring all slaves in Confederate states to be free. While Connecticut was a Union state and did not have slaves, many citizens were involved in the abolitionist movement and supported the Proclamation.
5. In 1976, Connecticut hosted the first Hartford Marathon on January 1, becoming one of the first states to hold a major road race on New Year's Day. The event has since grown in size and popularity and is now accompanied by various other festivities and activities throughout the day.