Editing Connecticut (section)

===20th century===
====World War I====

When World War I broke out in 1914, Connecticut became a major supplier of weaponry to the U.S. military; by 1918, 80% of the state's industries were producing goods for the war effort.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Industrial Northeast: Connecticut |chapter-url={{Google books|EP7bDoZcGTIC|plainurl=yes|page=107}} |last=Breen |first=William J. |title=Labor Market Politics and the Great War: The Department of Labor, the States and the First U.S. Employment Service, 1907–1933 |location=Kent, Ohio |publisher=Kent State University Press |year=1997 |page=107 |access-date=May 29, 2014}}</ref> [[Remington Arms]] in Bridgeport produced half the small-arms cartridges used by the U.S. Army,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-i/ |title=World War I |website=Connecticut History |date=May 13, 2012 |access-date=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=July 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703130403/http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-i/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with other major suppliers including [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]] in New Haven and [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] in Hartford.{{sfn|Van Dusen|1961|pp=266–268}}

Connecticut was also an important U.S. Navy supplier, with [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]] receiving orders for 85 submarines,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |title=EB History |publisher=General Dynamics Electric Boat |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019070946/http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] building more than 20 subs,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/laketorpedo.htm |title=Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport CT |website=Shipbuilding History |access-date=May 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714141246/https://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/laketorpedo.htm |archive-date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref> and the [[Groton Iron Works]] building freighters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/freighter-worcester-launched-today-in-history/ |title=Freighter Worcester Launched |website=Connecticut History |access-date=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425063301/http://connecticuthistory.org/freighter-worcester-launched-today-in-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 21, 1916, the Navy made Groton the site for its East Coast submarine base and school.

The state enthusiastically supported the American war effort in 1917 and 1918 with large purchases of war bonds, a further expansion of industry, and an emphasis on increasing food production on the farms. Thousands of state, local, and volunteer groups mobilized for the war effort and were coordinated by the Connecticut State Council of Defense.<ref>{{cite journal |first=William J. |last=Breen |title=Mobilization and Cooperative Federalism: The Connecticut State Council of Defense, 1917-1919 |journal=Historian |date=1979 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=58–84 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.1979.tb00574.x}}</ref> Manufacturers wrestled with manpower shortages; Waterbury's American Brass and Manufacturing Company was running at half capacity, so the federal government agreed to furlough soldiers to work there.{{sfn|Breen|1997|page=116}}

====Interwar period====

In 1919, J. Henry Roraback started the [[Northeast Utilities|Connecticut Light & Power Co.]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Connecticut Light and Power Co. History |work=International Directory of Company Histories |volume=13 |publisher=St. James Press |date=1996 |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/connecticut-light-and-power-co-history/ |access-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-date=September 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920060048/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/connecticut-light-and-power-co-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which became the state's dominant electric utility. In 1925, [[Frederick Rentschler]] spurred the creation of [[Pratt & Whitney]] in Hartford to develop engines for aircraft; the company became an important military supplier in World War{{nbsp}}II and one of the three major manufacturers of jet engines in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nationalaviation.org/rentschler-frederick/ |title=Frederick Rentschler |website=The National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014043025/http://www.nationalaviation.org/rentschler-frederick/ |archive-date=October 14, 2014 }}</ref>

On September 21, 1938, the most destructive storm in New England history struck eastern Connecticut, killing hundreds of people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov/okx/1938HurricaneHome |title=The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 |website=National Weather Service |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228115012/http://www.weather.gov/okx/1938HurricaneHome |url-status=live }}</ref> The eye of the [[1938 New England hurricane|"Long Island Express"]] passed just west of New Haven and devastated the Connecticut shoreline between Old Saybrook and Stonington from the full force of wind and waves, even though they had partial protection by Long Island. The hurricane caused extensive damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses. In New London, a {{convert|500|ft|m|adj=on}} sailing ship was driven into a warehouse complex, causing a major fire. Heavy rainfall caused the Connecticut River to flood downtown Hartford and East Hartford. An estimated 50,000 trees fell onto roadways.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/nyregion/remembering-the-great-hurricane-of-38.html |title=Remembering the Great Hurricane of '38 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 21, 2003 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715173224/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/nyregion/remembering-the-great-hurricane-of-38.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====World War II====

The advent of [[lend-lease]] in support of Britain helped lift Connecticut from the Great Depression,<ref>{{cite thesis |url=http://content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ccsutheses/id/1014 |last=Brandi |first=Anthony P. |type=Masters of Arts |title=Lend-lease: FDR's Most Unheralded Achievement and Connecticut's Unprecedented Response to it |publisher=Central Connecticut State University |date=May 2007 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518012251/http://content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ccsutheses/id/1014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with the state a major production center for weaponry and supplies used in [[World War II|World War{{nbsp}}II]]. Connecticut manufactured 4.1% of total U.S. military armaments produced during the war, ranking ninth among the 48 states,<ref>{{cite book |author1-link = Whiz Kids (Department of Defense) |last1=Peck |first1=Merton J. |author2-link = Frederic M. Scherer |last2=Scherer |first2=Frederic M. |title=The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis |year=1962 |publisher=[[Harvard Business School]] |page = 111 }}</ref> with major factories including [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.courant.com/2012/08/19/colt-manufacturing-a-timeline-2/ |title=Colt Manufacturing: A Timeline |work=Hartford Courant |date=August 19, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517225233/http://articles.courant.com/2012-08-19/business/hc-colt-timeline-20120817_1_colt-firearms-firearms-division-rampant-colt |url-status=live }}</ref> for firearms, [[Pratt & Whitney]] for aircraft engines, [[Vought|Chance Vought]] for fighter planes, [[Hamilton Standard]] for propellers,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-ii/ |title = World War II |website = Connecticut History |date = May 13, 2012 |access-date = May 17, 2014 |archive-date = July 3, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140703125946/http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-ii/ |url-status = live }}</ref> and [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]] for submarines and PT boats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |title=EB History |website=General Dynamics Electric Boat |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019070946/http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In Bridgeport, General Electric produced a significant new weapon to combat tanks: the [[bazooka]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/the-bazooka-changes-war/ |title=The Bazooka Changes War |website=Connecticut History |access-date=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727200928/http://connecticuthistory.org/the-bazooka-changes-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 13, 1940, [[Igor Sikorsky]] made an untethered flight of the first practical [[helicopter]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/VS-300_Helicopter.php |title=VS-300 Helicopter |website=Sikorsky Archives |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518053613/http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/VS-300_Helicopter.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The helicopter saw limited use in World War II, but future military production made [[Sikorsky Aircraft]]'s [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]] plant Connecticut's largest single manufacturing site by the start of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sikorsky Aircraft Corp ~ Employer Information |website=Labor Market Information |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor |url=http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchDet.asp?intEmpID=144196 |date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223637/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchDet.asp?intEmpID=144196 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Post-World War II economic expansion====

Connecticut lost some wartime factories following the end of hostilities, but the state shared in a general post-war expansion that included the construction of highways<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1380&Q=259704 |title=Interstate Highways Given New Life by Federal Aid Highway Acts |website=Department of Transportation |publisher=State of Connecticut |date=September 9, 2003 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517194607/http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1380&Q=259704 |url-status=live }}</ref> and resulting in middle-class growth in suburban areas.

[[Prescott Bush]] represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1952 to 1963; his son [[George H. W. Bush]] and grandson [[George W. Bush]] both became presidents of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/The-Bush-Family.aspx |title=The Bush Family |website=George W. Bush Library |publisher=Southern Methodist University |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518021233/http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/The-Bush-Family.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1965, Connecticut ratified its [[Connecticut Constitution|current constitution]], replacing the document that had served since 1818.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cslib.org/constitutionalAmends/ |title=The Connecticut Constitution, 1965-2005: Legislative History of Amendments |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130806024527/http://www.cslib.org/constitutionalAmends/ |archive-date=August 6, 2013 }} "The Connecticut Constitution, 1965–2008: Legislative History of Amendments", Connecticut State Library. Retrieved May 16, 2014.</ref>

In 1968, commercial operation began for the Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in [[Haddam Neck, Connecticut|Haddam]]; in 1970, the [[Millstone Nuclear Power Plant|Millstone Nuclear Power Station]] began operations in [[Waterford, Connecticut|Waterford]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gammell |first=Ben |url=http://wnpr.org/post/connecticut-yankee-and-millstone-46-years-nuclear-power |title=Connecticut Yankee and Millstone: 46 Years of Nuclear Power |work=[[WNPR]] |date=January 31, 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517235435/http://wnpr.org/post/connecticut-yankee-and-millstone-46-years-nuclear-power |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1974, Connecticut elected Democratic Governor [[Ella T. Grasso]], who became the first woman in any state to be elected governor without being the wife or widow of a previous governor.<ref name=Pumont>{{cite book |first=Jon E. |last=Purmont |title=Ella Grasso: Connecticut's Pioneering Governor |date=2012 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |url={{google books|Pos7XDsZauUC|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=978-0-8195-7344-5}}</ref>

====Late 20th century====
{{Expand section|date=October 2021}}
Connecticut's dependence on the defense industry posed an economic challenge at the end of the [[Cold War]]. The resulting budget crisis helped elect [[Lowell Weicker]] as governor on a third-party ticket in 1990. Weicker's remedy was a state income tax which proved effective in balancing the budget, but only for the short-term. He did not run for a second term, in part because of this politically unpopular move.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cslib.org/gov/weickerl.htm |title=Lowell Weicker, Governor of Connecticut |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324093619/http://www.cslib.org/gov/weickerl.htm |archive-date=March 24, 2014 }} "Lowell Weicker Governor of Connecticut, 1991–1995", Connecticut State Library, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2014.</ref>

In 1992, initial construction was completed on [[Foxwoods Resort Casino|Foxwoods Casino]] at the [[Mashantucket Pequots]] reservation in eastern Connecticut, which became the largest casino in the Western Hemisphere. [[Mohegan Sun]] followed four years later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=4107&q=482860 |title=Legalized Gambling |website=Department of Consumer Protection |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518064205/http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=4107&q=482860 |url-status=live }}</ref>