Hartford State

Lorelai tells Max that her business classes are at Hartford State [College], a fictional institution.

Bus

Rory gets on the bus to Hartford in order to go to school. In real life there is no 40 minute bus service from Washington Depot (the town which inspired Stars Hollow) to Hartford, or from Wallingford (the general position of where Stars Hollow seems to be) to Hartford. It is possible to get from Wallingford to Hartford by train, which takes around half an hour.

The bus that Rory catches is Connecticut Transit, Route 333. In real life, that bus service is in the city of Stamford.

First Moon Landing

The first manned mission to land on the Moon was Apollo 11 on 20 July 1969, and was the last time Emily can recall Lorelai meeting her cousin Claudia. Lorelai would have been one year old at the time, so little wonder she has no memory of Claudia.

Groton

Groton is a large town in Connecticut where the departed cousin Claudia lived. It is about an hour’s drive from Hartford, so it’s somewhat surprising Lorelai didn’t know her better.

Nazis

LORELAI: Germany. Is Dad’s firm insuring Nazis now?
EMILY: Your father doesn’t know any Nazis.

The National Socialist German Worker’s Party was a far-right political party active in Germany between 1923 and 1945, notorious for their belief in an “Aryan Master Race”, and the hideous consequences of that when they came to power.

They were abolished at the end of World War II, and there are strict laws in Germany about displaying Nazi symbols and using hate speech. Despite Lorelai’s (not very funny or clever) joke, there are far more Nazis in the United States, where laws exist to protect them, than in Germany.

Jeep

LORELAI: So what does the deer look like? Huh? Does it have any distinguishing marks – besides the word Jeep imprinted on it’s forehead?

Jeep is a brand of American automobile, made by Chrysler; their range is in sport utility vehicles and off-road vehicles. The original Jeep was made in 1941 for the military, and was the primary four-wheel drive vehicle used by the Allies; after the war they were produced for civilian use. Lorelai’s car is a 2000 Jeep Wrangler (although in the show it is said to be a 1999 model).

A couple of episodes ago, a connection was made between Lorelai and Daisy Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard when Lorelai chose to wear denim shorts to Chilton. Another thing they have in common is that they both drive Jeeps – but Daisy’s was white, while Lorelai’s is tan. Gilmore Girls was filmed on several of the same sets at Warner Brothers as The Dukes of Hazzard – Stars Hollow High School was previously the Hazzard County Courthouse, for example.

After Gilmore Girls run ended, Lorelai’s Jeep was auctioned off in 2011, and sold to the highest bidder. It was bought by someone from Deep River, Connecticut – a small town with a selectman, a strong sense of community, a day devoted to colonial history, a quaint main street, and a town square with a gazebo. In fact, it’s gone to somewhere rather like Stars Hollow!

“I know his birthday”

RORY: I know everything there is to know about Shakespeare … I know his birthday and his mother’s name and that kind of –

In fact William Shakespeare’s birthday is not known, just that he was baptised on April 26. His birthday is traditionally commemorated on April 23 – this is because it is both the day he died, and St. George’s Day, the national saint of England.

William Shakespeare’s mother was Mary Arden.

Rory’s Study for the Shakespeare Test

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s early plays, and a farce involving two pairs of twins and mistaken identity. It was written around 1594, so Rory’s statement that it was written in 1590 is just an estimate – the exact date isn’t known. It was published in 1623 though, as that was the first collection made of Shakespeare’s plays.

Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays. It was written around 1592, so Rory’s guess of 1591 is within the acceptable time-frame and not actually wrong. In real life, it would be very unusual for students to be tested on their knowledge of the dates of Shakespeare’s plays, as they are usually not known for sure. As we never see the actual test, Rory could be studying all the wrong things anyway.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets are a 1609 collection of love sonnets, most of which are addressed to either a Dark Lady or a Fair Youth. It is not known whether these figures are fictional or based on real people. It is not even known for certain whether the sonnets were written by William Shakespeare.

During the study session, Lorelai makes a buzzer noise when Rory gets a question wrong, as if she is on a game show.

SAT

MAX: I apologize for the behaviours of some of our guests tonight. It’s a tense time for some people.
LORELAI: The SAT season?
MAX: The waking hours.

The SAT Subject Tests are multiple-choice tests in various subjects given by the College Board, and taken to improve a student’s credentials for admission to universities in the United States. The SAT tests are generally held in early to mid-October.

SAT originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test, but by now it is just a brand name and not an acronym of anything in particular.

Advanced Placement

The Chilton parents are very concerned about whether the texts Mr. Medina has chosen will be covered in the Advanced Placement tests.

In the US and Canada, Advanced Placement (AP) is a program which offers college-level curricula and exmainations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course credit to those students who get high scores in the AP exams.

Mr. Medina says that the next AP test will be held in the following month (November), but in real life AP Tests are always held in May.

We learn from this that Rory is in the AP English Literature class to improve her chances of attending university. We don’t know what other AP classes she might be doing at Chilton, but any class that she has with Paris seems like a pretty safe bet.