or


[03/30/11 - 10:44 AM]
History Premieres New Series "How the States Got Their Shapes" on Tuesday, May 3 at 10 p.m.
The newcomer is a follow up to last year's two-hour special of the same name.

[via press release from History]

There's a lot of history hidden in the map of The United States, and every line tells a surprising story. Brian Unger hits the road to find out...

HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES

New Series Premieres Tuesday, May 3 at 10 p.m. on HISTORY(R)

New York, March 30, 2011 - Why does Montana look like it took a bite out of Idaho? Why is Georgia plotting to re-draw its border with Tennessee? Why does Florida have a panhandle? Why isn't Chicago in Wisconsin? The map of the United States is a jigsaw puzzle of crooked lines, right angles and odd shapes. Some pieces are outsized; others are minuscule. The reason for our jagged geography? American history.

On HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES, a new one-hour series premiering Tuesday, May 3 at 10 p.m. on HISTORY, journalist and former Daily Show correspondent Brian Unger criss-crosses the nation in search of the stories behind our boundaries - and discovers not only how the states got their shapes, but how the states have shaped us.

When the founding fathers drew the first map of America, they confronted many of the same challenges that unite and divide us today. HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES explores how our borders evolved - and continue to change - in response to religion, transportation, communication, politics, culture clashes and even Mother Nature.

This is no textbook-style documentary series. Local experts and everyday folks lead 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 our 51st state? Why did the invention of air conditioning change how America picks its Presidents? Unger uncovers the answers, hidden in our map.

HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES combines the spirit of a cross-country road trip with lively graphics and the fun of an interactive game show. Viewers can answer multiple-choice challenges by text and receive live reports about which state responds with the most correct answers.

About the host

Broadcast journalist, actor and comedian Brian Unger started as an intern at Late Night with David Letterman, later becoming a producer at CBS News and a commentator at NPR. He is best known as one of the first correspondents and producers on The Daily Show for Comedy Central. His host and guest-hosting stints include E!'s Talk Soup, MSNBC's Countdown, Fox's World's Craziest Videos and NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. The Unger Report ran on NPR's Day to Day for six years, and his occasional commentary can be heard on All Things Considered. As a comedian, he has corresponded for The Tonight Show and as an actor appears as a recurring character in F/X's It's Always Sunny in Philadephia.

HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES is produced for HISTORY by Half Yard Productions. Executive Producers for Half Yard Productions are Sean Gallagher, Abby Greensfelder and Ann Carroll. David McKillop and Paul Cabana are Executive Producers for HISTORY.

HISTORY(R) and HISTORY HD(R) are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Ice Road Truckers, Top Gear, Pawn Stars and Top Shot, as well as acclaimed specials including America the Story of Us, WWII in HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America, The President's Book of Secrets and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's signature initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.





  [march 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES (H2)





[07/03/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News Same-Day Primetime Special "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" Is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Versus the competition in the time period, "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" outperformed NBC by +40% in Adults 18-49 (212,000 vs. 151,000) and +22% in Adults 25-54.

[07/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "In the Lost Lands" - Official Trailer - Hulu
In the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands, a sorceress (Milla Jovovich) and mysterious drifter (Dave Bautista) must join together in order to survive against the supernatural forces which threaten their world.

[07/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Digman!" Season Two to Premiere Immediately After "South Park" Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:30PM ET/PT on Comedy Central
Season two will feature guest voice appearances from a wide array of fan-favorite talent.

[07/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
Nat Geo's Nine-Time Emmy Award-Winning Series "Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller" Returns with Powerful New Season Exploring the World's Deadliest Underground Markets
The new season kicks off with a groundbreaking look into the operations of Mexican cartels inside the United States.

[07/03/25 - 06:12 AM]
Video: "The Idaho Student Murders" - Official Trailer - Peacock Original
A feature documentary focuses its lens on the pre-trial case against Bryan Kohberger, a young criminology student accused of brutally stabbing to death four University of Idaho coeds.

[07/03/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "The Assassin" Sets Premiere Date in the UK and Ireland with Explosive New Trailer
Retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes) is reunited with her estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore), but her dangerous past begins to catch up with them.

[07/03/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Catalog" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A recently widowed workaholic clumsily navigates life with his kids, guided by his late wife's online tips. Can he ace this crash course in parenthood?

[07/03/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Diary of a Ditched Girl" - Meet the Cast - Netflix
Here they are: the boys of Malmö. Watch "Diary of a Ditched Girl" September 11 to see if she manages to get a second date with one of them.

[07/02/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer - Disney+
Lee Dongwook is back and this time, it's romantic.

[07/02/25 - 06:44 PM]
Tyler Perry's "Divorced Sistas" Quickly Rises to Become BET+'s Most Watched Original Series in Platform History
Just halfway through the eight-episode season, existing subscribers and new fans of the show have boosted the drama series to the most-watched series premiere on BET+ in just three weeks.

[07/02/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Wall to Wall" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A man who poured his life savings into a new apartment discovers its walls are full of disturbing noises, hostile neighbors and unsettling secrets.

[07/02/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News Announces "Verdict: The Diddy Trial," Airing Wednesday, July 2, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who has been found guilty on two of five counts.

[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
Hallmark Channel Earns #1 Most-Watched Network on Weekends Throughout June with "Passport to Love" Programming Event
"Passport to Love" helped elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 most-watched network on weekends throughout the month of June.

[07/02/25 - 01:30 PM]
"New Amsterdam" Creator David Schulner Joins Creative Team of New FOX Drama Series "Memory of a Killer" as an Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner
Schulner will be an executive producer of the series alongside Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone, and Cathy Schulman.

[07/02/25 - 11:52 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: American League Leading Detroit Tigers to Visit Texas Rangers on July 20
Through 14 games, "Sunday Night Baseball" is averaging 1,750,000 million viewers, up 11 percent from last year.