How The States Got Their Shapes

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Episode Guide

Season 2 | Season 1

Mouthing Off 07/12/2011

Mouthing Off

Premiere Date: 07/12/2011

We all live in the same country, so why do we sound do different? It's a matter of where you are on the map. Why didn't the southern accent exist until after the Civil War? How did California athletes end up coining so many new words? Why do we have so many different words for the same things -- like pop versus soda? Will one particularly strong accent cause New York to break up and create a 51st state?

TVPG

Culture Clash 07/05/2011

Culture Clash

Premiere Date: 07/05/2011

Will rivalries within our states break them into pieces? Cultures compete against each other all over the map. In extreme cases, they can divide states in two. How did World War II preserve the shape of California? Will part of Maine break off and become Northern Massachusetts? And as new cultures move into Florida, will the state's cowboy tradition get pushed off the map?

TVPG L

A Boom with a View 06/28/2011

A Boom with a View

Premiere Date: 06/28/2011

Did money make our map? Through boom and through bust, the sweet smell of profit has drawn and redrawn our states. How did Green Bay help carve our border with Canada? What does football have to do with fur? Is North Carolina the real "Golden State"? And why should we all move to North Dakota?

TVPG

Church and States 06/21/2011

Church and States

Premiere Date: 06/21/2011

Ever since the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower, what we believe and how we believe has shaped the American map. Could Utah have been bigger than Texas? How did religion shatter New England into such odd little shapes? And did the Civil War actually begin... in Kansas?

TVPG

Use It or Lose It 06/14/2011

Use It or Lose It

Premiere Date: 06/14/2011

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.

TVPG

Living on the Edge 06/07/2011

Living on the Edge

Premiere Date: 06/07/2011

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?

TVPG

State of Rebellion 05/24/2011

State of Rebellion

Premiere Date: 05/24/2011

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?

TVPG L

Force of Nature 05/17/2011

Force of Nature

Premiere Date: 05/17/2011

How have massive geological events helped create the American map? Long before the Founding Fathers drew the map, mother nature shaped some states. How did an asteroid create the border for three states and change history? How did glaciers plow the great plains and how did natural disasters continue to alter the map?

TVPG

The Great Plains, Trains, & Automobiles 05/10/2011

The Great Plains, Trains, & Automobiles

Premiere Date: 05/10/2011

The history of transportation is hidden in the lines of the map. From canals to trains and cars, how did getting around help draw the American map? Could Chicago have been in Wisconsin? Why are states out West or so big and boxy? And why did we almost had a state called Forgottonia?

TVPG L

A River Runs Through It 05/03/2011

A River Runs Through It

Premiere Date: 05/03/2011

How has water has literally shaped the States? There's surprising history hidden in the blue, squiggly lines on the map. Did the founding fathers make a mistake along the Georgia Tennessee border? Can that boundary actually change because of water? Why does Maine have so much water? Why was Nevada was left high and dry? -- All these answers can be found in the unique shapes of these states.

TVPG

How the States Got Their Shapes 04/06/2010

How the States Got Their Shapes

Premiere Date: 04/06/2010

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.

TVPG

Upcoming Episodes on H2

Church and States:
Tuesday, Jun 18, 5/4c
Living on the Edge:
Tuesday, Jun 18, 6/5c
How The States Got Their Shapes on DVD!
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