Connecticut is the home of many inventions. One that's of particular interest is the first robot. The first industrial robot ever placed on a production line was built in Danbury and spearheaded by the holder of the patent (George Devol, of Wilton) and the marketing mastermind who found the markets and promoted the invention (Joseph Engelberger, of Newtown). Engelberger, known as “the father of robotics,” also spearheaded the first use of robots in hospitals. Hear the story behind the development of robots with Newtown Historical Society President Ben Cruson.

Today, we often hear of building collapses, with workers or members of the public trapped underneath debris. One of the first such incidents to capture the public’s attention was the collapse of the L’Ambiance apartment building while it was under construction in Bridgeport in 1987. Tons of concrete slab floors were being hoisted into place, while workers tended to their tasks beneath them. The concrete floors fell, pancake style, landing on top of 28 workers. None survived. It was the worst disaster in the city’s history, and one of the worst in state history. The 37-year-old incident is remembered by the man who was Mayor of Bridgeport at that time, the Honorable Thomas Bucci.

Some call it, Connecticut’s Alamo. The Battle of Groton Heights was a massacre by any measure, with 1,600 British soldiers greatly outnumbering 165 Patriot soldiers in one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War. The British were led by Benedict Arnold, who had only recently switched allegiances and who was born less than 10 miles from the battle. The decision by Colonel William Ledyard not to surrender the fort, with essentially only farmers under his command, ended with only a handful of fighters not being killed or wounded. This harrowing story is told by the President of the Friends of the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park Foundation, Hali Keeler.