How did the most rebellious states took shape? How did they earn their outsized features and outspoken reputations. For instance, why does Montana looks like it took a bite out of Idaho? Why wasn't Texas broken up into five states? And why exactly do we have not one but two Carolinas?

What secrets are hiding in our map? What's behind the "blank spots" like Area 51? What possessed the citizens of Key West to throw down their margaritas and secede from Florida? And even in the heartland, there are those living on the edge -- in Kansas, old missile bunkers are now five bedroom dream homes. And what about the county in Georgia that was left off the state's quarter?

If you thought our borders were set in stone, you'd be wrong. Who stole a corner of Washington, DC? Is Ohio actually a state? And why isn't St. Louis our nation's capital? One thing's for sure -- our map could look very different. How did we create order out of so much chaos? With the vote.

We are so familiar with the map of United States, but do we know why our states look the way they do? Every shape on the map tells a great story about our past. Why is California bent? To cling on to gold. Why does Oklahoma have a panhandle? Because of shifting borders for slavery. Why does Missouri have a boot? Because of a massive earthquake. This special examines how every state is a puzzle piece ultimately revealing the unique geography, political and social history of America.

Michigan's logging industry helped build fortunes, but over-harvesting also threatened the environment. Davy Crocket, the coonskin-capped congressman from Tennessee, became more legend than reality thanks to 19th century political campaigns. Originally disdained as a food fit only for servants, lobsters are now a delicacy fueling Maine's fishing industries. Riverboat traffic and trailheads to Santa Fe and Oregon made Missouri the "Gateway to the West." The discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 created a rush of prospectors who displaced Indians from sacred land that they'd been promised for eternity.

Stone Mountain, Georgia, a monument to three heroes of the Confederacy, dwarfs Mt. Rushmore. The Denver Mint in Colorado, which produces the most coins in the world, started out during Colorado's gold and silver boom of the 1860s as a private bank. Wisconsin's Great Lakes are littered with sunken ships, but the cold, fresh waters keep aging vessels intact. One hundred, sixty acres of free land made available by The Homestead Act of 1862 drew settlers to Nebraska's plains. Maryland soil helped found the District of Columbia, but the District's Federal status denies it any state's rights of its own.

New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world. What if we could strip away the buildings and re-create the Manhattan of 1609? Take a journey back in time and discover the forces that shaped the landscape from a sweltering tropical region to fertile Indian hunting grounds, to today's modern metropolis. Dive beneath New York Harbor, climb to the tops of the highest skyscrapers and delve 600 feet down to the deepest tunnels to see how New York became "New York" and what the future may hold for the city.

Discover people who perform seemingly impossible shooting feats with all kinds of firearms. Watch world-class shooters perform amazing shots as well as reenact shots made famous in history. Stories will include the toughest shot in Old West shooting exhibitions (the mirror shot) as well as modern-day Army snipers who hit targets a mile away. Super high-speed cameras will capture a bullet in the air and travel with its trajectory to the target and animation will dissect the technology of the gun, the ammunition, and the technique.

Navy Seal Craig "Sawman" Sawyer meets up with Marksman Jaime Franks as they put blazing fast, automatic rifles through a series of tests and challenges. The final shoot off pits old vs. new to determine the Top Gun.

Three iconic, powerful, military rifles are put to the test to determine which one is the best. Two shooting experts and host Colby Donaldson fire it out in a challenge that comes down to a single shot.

Savage...sadistic...often justified--America's western frontier triggered many a shootout. The motivation? Money...women...religion--sometimes a dirty look triggered a melee. Western shootouts were messy, drunken, and deadly affairs. The vision of two gunslingers meeting in the street at high noon is pure myth. Shootouts were typically up-close and personal. They involved lawmen against outlaws, outlaws against outlaws, and sometimes lawmen against lawmen. We take a look at the Northfield Raid (James/Younger Gang vs. the Town of Northfield), the shootout at Hanska Slough (James/Younger Gang vs. the Medelia Posse), and Ingalls Raid (Doolin/Dalton Gang vs. US Marshals). And as we provide the motivation, strategy, and tactics, and examine the firearms involved on both sides of the gun battles, we detail each phase of the combat and its aftermath.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

The southern-most U.S. city, Key West, Florida is a picture-postcard tropical playground. But travel agents won't tell you about the haunted souls who prowl this island after dark. Frightened guests have seen Ernest Hemingway's ghost in the leading hotel. Restless spirits of Civil War soldiers lurk in the shadows of nearby Fort Zachary Taylor. And the ghost of a young woman wanders Key West Cemetery, where her lover stole her body, then kept the corpse at home for seven years.

Michigan's logging industry helped build fortunes, but over-harvesting also threatened the environment. Davy Crocket, the coonskin-capped congressman from Tennessee, became more legend than reality thanks to 19th century political campaigns. Originally disdained as a food fit only for servants, lobsters are now a delicacy fueling Maine's fishing industries. Riverboat traffic and trailheads to Santa Fe and Oregon made Missouri the "Gateway to the West." The discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 created a rush of prospectors who displaced Indians from sacred land that they'd been promised for eternity.

Stone Mountain, Georgia, a monument to three heroes of the Confederacy, dwarfs Mt. Rushmore. The Denver Mint in Colorado, which produces the most coins in the world, started out during Colorado's gold and silver boom of the 1860s as a private bank. Wisconsin's Great Lakes are littered with sunken ships, but the cold, fresh waters keep aging vessels intact. One hundred, sixty acres of free land made available by The Homestead Act of 1862 drew settlers to Nebraska's plains. Maryland soil helped found the District of Columbia, but the District's Federal status denies it any state's rights of its own.