How the States Got Their Shapes (2010 - 2012)

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?

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?

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?

Mysterious or fringe areas and how they shaped the states are examined. States include Nevada; Florida; Missouri; and Georgia.

The role of politics is examined. States include Ohio; and Missouri. Also: Washington, D.C.

The influence of religion is considered. States include Utah; and Kansas; and New England states.

The influences of money and prosperity are examined. States include Wisconsin; North Carolina; and North Dakota.

Conflict can sometimes arise between different cultures that share the same state. Find out how culture clashes all over the country have shaped our map.

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?