Cradle Of Innovation

The Connecticut Valley became the center of the arms industry in America and methods used in the region changed the way the world made things. "Silicon Valley of the 19th Century: Rediscovering the Connecticut Valley's Industrial Heritage" will be presented by William Hosley on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m. at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. Free and open to the public.

In 1796, the Federal government began a half-century of patronage for the U.S. Springfield Armory. Learn how the Connecticut Valley was transformed into America's first high-tech industrial corridor and the vanguard of an internationally significant technology-based revolution that changed the world of work - using a system of manufacturing that was adapted to change the way everything from typewriters and sewing machines to bicycles and automobiles was made. Historian Bill Hosley, principal at Terra Firma Northeast, leads the journey through history and innovation from Colt's Armory and the Sharp's Rifle Company in Hartford to Smith & Wesson in Springfield and Eli Whitney and Winchester in New Haven. For details call (860) 236-5621, extension 289.