[7][8][9] During the following day on April 26, 1777, the British, under Major General William Tryon, burned and sacked Danbury, but fatalities were limited due to Ludington's warning.
The central motto on the seal of the City of Danbury is Restituimus, (Latin for "We have restored"), a reference to the destruction caused by the Loyalist army troops.
[11] In 1835, the Connecticut Legislature granted a rail charter to the Fairfield County Railroad, but construction was delayed because of lack of investment.
The ensuing flood of icy water killed 11 people within 30 minutes, and caused major damage to homes and farms.
Oglala Sioux Albert Afraid of Hawk died on June 29, 1900, at age 21 in Danbury during the tour.
The city consulted with Oglala Sioux leaders of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and arranged repatriation of the remains to the nation.
Wrapped in a bison skin, the remains were transported to Manderson, South Dakota, to Saint Mark's Episcopal Cemetery, for reburial by tribal descendants.
[14][15] In 1928 local plane pilots bought a 60-acre (24 ha) tract near the Fairgrounds, known as Tucker's Field, and leased it to the town.
[16][17][18] On August 18–19, 1955, the Still River, which normally meandered slowly through downtown Danbury, overflowed its banks when Hurricane Diane hit the area, dropping six inches of rain on the city.
[19] The water flooded stores, factories and homes along the river from North Street to Beaver Brook, causing $3 million in damages.
On October 13–16, another 12 inches of rain fell on Danbury, causing the worst flooding in the city's history.
$4.5 million in federal and state funding were acquired as part of a greater urban renewal project to straighten, deepen, widen, and enclose the river in a concrete channel through the downtown.
A sting operation had been set up where day laborers were lured into a van whose driver, a disguised Danbury police officer posing as a contractor, promised them work.
The laborers were driven to a parking lot where, if it was determined they were in the US illegally, were arrested by agents of ICE and the Danbury police.
Yale University law students represented the men pro bono and filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city on their behalf.
In 1902, the American Federation of Labor union called for a nationwide boycott of Dietrich Loewe, a Danbury non-union hat manufacturer.
"[30] The condition, known locally as the "Danbury shakes", was characterized by slurred speech, tremors, stumbling, and, in extreme cases, hallucinations.
After World War II, returning GIs went hatless, a trend that accelerated through the 1950s, dooming the city's hat industry.
The city's terrain includes rolling hills and not-very-tall mountains to the west and northwest called the Western Highland.
Bethel Brookfield New Fairfield New Milford Newtown RidgefieldThe hatmaking fur-removal process was based on the use of mercury nitrate.
This toxic product flowed into the Housatonic River and Long Island Sound, affecting water quality and various fish and other organisms.
[27][34] Danbury has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons, resembling Hartford more than coastal Connecticut or New York City.
[53] The top employers in the city in 2020 were:[54] The chief executive officer of Danbury is the Mayor, who serves a two-year term.
[55][56] Danbury has six state representatives as of 2021; Raghib Allie-Brennan D-2, Stephen Harding R-107, Patrick Callahan R-108, David Arconti D-109, Bob Godfrey D-110 and Kenneth Gucker D-138.
[80] The Division oversees a Water Pollution Control Plant, operated by Veolia Water North America, and a public yard waste management processing center, located on Plumtrees Road, in accordance with an agreement between the City of Danbury and Total Landscaping and Tree Service.
Frequent direct rail access to New York City is also available from Brewster station along Metro-North's Harlem Line.
This plan has been dubbed the "Fast track to NYC", as it will provide more frequent access between Danbury and Grand Central Terminal.
[96][97][98] On December 27, 2009, Danbury was named the first city to officially have a team in the newly formed Federal Hockey League (FHL).
The university fields teams in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
After taking 2017 off, the team joined Major League Football for the 2018 season, playing its home games in New Fairfield, CT.[101]