How the States Got Their Shapes - History Channel - Season 2 All Episodes

How the States Got Their Shapes:
Every state has a shape and every line has a story to tell. HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES is a quiz show about what really divides the states and how those rivalries have shaped the nation and its people. This season, Brian Unger hits the road to uncover the history hidden in our map through man-on-the-street quizzes and head-to-head competitions that reveal the surprising history of places we thought we knew. Exploring from the crooked lines of the east to the boxy shapes of the west, Brian teams up with average Americans to reveal how America took shape, giving them an opportunity to make some cash and show their state pride by proving how well they know their United States.

Series 2 Explores how the borders of the United States evolved and continue to change in response to religion, transportation, communication, politics, culture clashes and even Mother Nature. Local experts and everyday folks lead host Brian Unger to insights about some of America's most baffling questions. How are flying fish threatening to re-draw the shape of Illinois? What does the use of cell phones by Pennsylvania's Amish have to do with the shape of their state? How is the phrase sold down the river linked to the shape of what might be the 51st state? Why did the invention of air conditioning change how America picks its Presidents? Unger uncovers the answers, hidden in the map. This is no textbook-style documentary series, each episode finds quirky and fun facts to inform and educate, and the comedic style will appeal perfectly to both older and younger consumers, from students to history buffs. Host Brian Unger is well known for his irreverent YouTube online news programme The Young Turks which is the biggest show of its type in the World.

The United States is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, with each state having a uniquely shaped border to fit into its neighboring states. Americans are familiar with each state's shape, but how did those shapes come about? That's what this series, hosted by former "Daily Show" correspondent Brian Unger, explains. Unger crisscrosses the country talking to local experts and everyday people in search of the stories behind the boundaries. Religion, transportation and Mother Nature are just a few of the factors that have caused the states' borders to evolve over time, some of which may be continuing to evolve.

First episode date: May 3, 2011

Final episode date: December 22, 2012

Language: English

Network: History

Cast: Brian Unger

Every line on the U.S. map tells a story. Every border reflects their history - their struggles for independence, their internal conflicts over states rights and slavery, their westward expansion, and the mastery of their natural resources.

They are so familiar with the map of United States, but do they know why their states look the way they do? Every shape on the map tells a great story about their 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. Examines how every state is a puzzle piece ultimately revealing the unique geography, political and social history of America.

Follows correspondent Brian Unger as he criss-crosses the country reporting on the tales behind the boundaries. Think: Why does Montana look like it took a bite out of Idaho? Or how are flying fish threatening to re-draw the lines of Illinois?

How the States Got Their Shapes is a television series that aired on the History Channel. It is hosted by Brian Unger and is based on Mark Stein's book, How the States Got Their Shapes. The show deals with how the various states of the United States established their borders but also delves into other aspects of U.S. history, including failed states, proposed new states, and the local culture and character of various US states. It thus tackles the "shapes" of the states in a metaphorical sense as well as a literal sense.

Each episode has a particular theme, such as how the landscape, language, or natural resources contributed to the borders and character of various US states. The show format follows Unger as he travels to various locations and interviews local people, visits important historical and cultural sites, and provides commentary from behind the wheel of his car as he drives from location to location. Interspersed with these segments are brief historical synopses by notable US historians.

The show started as a single two-hour special which first aired in April 2010 but returned as a regular series of one-hour shows starting in May 2011. Season 2 premiered in the fall of 2012, with a slightly more reality-oriented format and episodes shortened to half an hour, airing Saturdays on H2, with encore showings on Friday night on the History channel. Many of Season 2's episodes contained material already covered in Season 1.

Episode 1: Red State vs. Blue State

It's a rivalry that tears us apart every four years, but how did our nation divide into red states vs. blue states, and what happens to the states caught in the middle?

Episode 2: White Collar vs. Blue Collar

Deep in the Rust Belt the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon? 

Episode 3: Hillbilly vs. Redneck

Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states.

Episode 4: Hatfields vs. McCoys

America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states. America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states.

Episode 5: North vs. South

It's America's original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war? America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether you're afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home.

Episode 6: Bigfoot vs. Aliens

America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether you're afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home. It's America's original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war?

Episode 7: Great Lakes, Big Stakes

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war.

Episode 8: Battle of the Bible Belt

With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, we're a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached? 

Episode 9: Vice vs. Virtue

Americans have a lot of vices and they don't just stay in Vegas. From drugs to gambling, the state you live in may shape how bad you can be. Americans have a lot of vices and they don't just stay in Vegas. From drugs to gambling, the state you live in may shape how bad you can be.

Episode 10: Midwest vs. The Rest

It's the glue that holds our map together and feeds America, but the Midwest is more than just state fairs and flyover country. It's the glue that holds our map together and feeds America, but the Midwest is more than just state fairs and flyover country.

Episode 11: Is West Best?

In the battle between city and country, it looks like the city is coming out ahead in population, but is there something about the country that all the city slickers are missing? Americans have been racing to tame the West since they first set foot on the continent, but now that the West has been won, what's next? Is the West still the best.

Episode 12: City vs. Country

The squabble between east coast and west coast leaves the rest of the country stuck in the middle. It's a rivalry that has made its way into our popular culture, but is there any common ground in this continental tug of war? In the battle between city and country, it looks like the city is coming out ahead in population, but is there something about the country that all the city slickers are missing? And how has the move from rural to urban changed the shapes of our states and cities?

Episode 13: East vs. West

We may be a law-abiding nation but we also admire the outlaw, and the clash between rebels and the rules has shaped our states. Which states like to make their own rules, and which do the heat have on lockdown? The squabble between east coast and west coast leaves the rest of the country stuck in the middle. It's a rivalry that has made its way into our popular culture, but is there any common ground in this continental tug of war?

Episode 14: Rebels & Outlaws

Everything is bigger in Texas. It's the only state that acts like a country, but has it grown too big for its britches? We'll mess with Texas to settle this ten-gallon rivalry. We may be a law-abiding nation but we also admire the outlaw, and the clash between rebels and the rules has shaped our states. Which states like to make their own rules, and which do the heat have on lockdown?

Episode 15: Mess with Texas

Money makes the world go `round and in America, the pursuit of riches has shaped our states. In the race to grab all resources, which states came out on top? Everything is bigger in Texas. It's the only state that acts like a country, but has it grown too big for its britches? We'll mess with Texas to settle this ten- gallon rivalry.

Episode 16: State vs. State

Does size matter when you're a state? While the giants like to throw their weight around, there are some scrappy underdogs that have made their mark on the map. We're the united states, but make no mistake - sometimes, it's every state for itself. At one point or another, nearly every state has pulled a power play that has changed the map to its own advantage. Which states are the worst offenders, and which are the biggest losers? And how much can you get away with before the other states cry foul?

Episode 17: Rich vs. Poor

After three years on the road, host Brian Unger is taking a different look at just how our states got their shapes. We'll hear about the unique American values that have made this country what it is today. Money makes the world go `round and in America, the pursuit of fortune and riches has shaped our states. Some states have built enormous economies on resources like gold, oil, or timber, but they first had to draw their borders around all the riches in order to stake a claim. In the race to grab up all the country's treasures, which states were slowest on the uptake, and which came out on top?

Episode 18: Big vs. Small

Does size matter when you're a state? Giants like California and Alaska like to throw their weight around but there are some underdogs that can be big bullies when it comes to the map. Big or small, all Americans think their states are equal, but can the little guys cut the big states down to size?

Episode 19: The United Shapes of America

How the States Got Their Shapes looks at how American values helped to make the country what it is today. In particular, it looks at how the values of independence, equality, enterprise, freedom, and competition helped to give the United States the shape that it has today. After three years on the road, host Brian Unger is taking a different look at just how our states got their shapes. We'll hear about the unique American values that have made this country what it is today, and travel from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Along the way, Brian reveals that just as we shaped the map, it has shaped us.