Finding someone who is not legendary in New Haven is nearly as hard as
knowing how to pronounce the local dialect. In its earliest period there
appeared epic characters like John Davenport, the town's founder; Roger
Sherman, the city's first mayor and only signer of the four major US
papers; and Benedict Arnold, patriot and famed traitor. The growing city
emerged as a place of innovation and industry with people like Eli
Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin; Noah Webster, author of the first
American English dictionary; Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized
rubber; and William Lanson, a distinguished African American contractor
in the early 19th century. As the seat of Yale University and other
major institutions, New Haven's men and women continue to make a name
for themselves. These legends include Yoshi and Bun Lai, mother and son
restaurateurs who create sustainable sushi; Doris Townsend, historian
and author; Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana, begun in 1925; and Louis
Lunch, birthplace of the hamburger. Legendary Locals of New Haven opens
the doors to the city's rich history and its continuing legacy as a
cultural center.