WATERBURY FACTS

The Mattatuck Drum Band, which was founded in 1767, is the oldest continuing active musical organization in the country.

Waterbury's Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, CT on February 2, 1882. 

St. Joseph's Church holds the distinction of being the first Lithuanian Church in CT.

The first Unico Club was founded in Waterbury in 1922.   It now has 8,000 members and 150 regional groups. 

Sacred Heart HS was the first Catholic High School in Connecticut, est. September 6, 1922.

One of the first full-length sound motion pictures was made in the 1920's at the studios of the Bristol Co.  at Platts Mills by Prof. William Henry Bristol who experimented for years with sound pictures.

The Ingersoll-Waterbury Watch Company produced the first Mickey Mouse watch in 1933.   The watch was so popular that over 11,000 were sold the first day, and it saved the company from bankruptcy.

The Eastern Color Printing Company produced the first regularly published comic book series sold on a newstand.

Victor Zembruski started his Polish Eagles show on Waterbury radio station WATR in 1934.   It is now the oldest continuously broadcast show on American radio.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the most famous of James Thurbers' short stories is set in Waterbury.

The Robert Hall discount clothing chain, which operated over 200 stores in 1955, stemmed from a single Case Clothes store opened in a factory building on Mill St in Waterbury in 1940.

Waterbury Radio station WWCO and disk jockey Les Davis were featured in an article in the April 25, 1955 issue of Life Magazine.   Before FM radio came into popularity in the mid 1970, WWCO was the major top 40 radio station in Wtby, with a heyday from the 60's to the early 70's.

The Today Show on NBC was broadcast from the Hotel Elton on August 18, 1955 to cover the festivities for the world premirer of Waterbury native Rosalind Russell's movie The Girl Rush at the State Theater. 

A major flood on August 19, 1955 caused over 50 million dollars in property damage.  The Today Show provided live coverage of the flood to the country.

In 1957, Waterbury's George Metesky, NYC Mad Bomber was arrested.  Metesky's reign of terror from 1940 to 1957 was provoked by the denial of his Workmen's Compensation by Con Edison.  Fifteen people were injured by his bombs and he spend sixteen years in jail. 

5,000 people lined the streets on May 12, 1984 as Waterbury residents Joseph Carrah, Thomas Fava, Frank Fulco, Gary Coles, Richard Boutot, Bob Wesson and other carried the Olympic Tourch through Waterbury on its way from Greece to California for the 1984 Summer Games.

The move Stanley and Iris (1990) was filmed in Waterbury.

One of the last remaining Howard Johnson's Restaurants in the country was located in Waterbury.