Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'How the States Got Their Shapes: Season 1'
This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is:
“How the States Got Their Shapes: Season 1”
Ever wonder why Oklahoma has a panhandle? Or why is Texas so darned big? Well, curious map lovers can luxuriate in the wealth of cartographical, topographical, geographical and sociological information contained in the documentary series “How the States Got Their Shapes: Season 1,” due out on DVD Tuesday.
This 10-episode series from The History Channel, hosted by journalist and former “Daily Show” correspondent Brian Unger, explores how America’s jig-jag borders evolved – and continue to evolve – in response to politics, culture clashes, religion, transportation, communication and the whims of Mother Nature.
Drawing on information from local folklorists and regional historians, the show offers colorful insights to some of the most perplexing questions about the jigsaw puzzle that is the United States map. Such as: How did the use of cell phones by the Amish help shape the Pennsylvania map? Or, how are flying fish threatening to redraw the Illinois borders? Or, how did the advent of air conditioning change the way America elects its presidents? Or, why does Missouri have a boot and why is California bent?
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