1. In 1955, the first atomic-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched in Groton, Connecticut. This revolutionary vessel made history by becoming the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole in 1958.

2. The Hartford Circus Fire, one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history, occurred on July 16, 1944. The blaze broke out during a performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Hartford Municipal Stadium, resulting in the deaths of 168 people and injuring more than 700 others.

3. On July 16, 1785, the Connecticut Land Company was formed, paving the way for the settlement and development of the Western Reserve territory in what is now Ohio.

4. The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford was dedicated on July 16, 1879. Designed by architect Richard M. Upjohn, the building is a Beaux-Arts style masterpiece and an iconic symbol of the state's rich history.

5. New London, Connecticut was the site of the first submarine attack on July 16, 1863, during the Civil War. The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley attacked and sank the Union Navy's USS Housatonic with a spar torpedo, becoming the first submarine in history to sink an enemy vessel.