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Sunday, April 04, 2010

"How the States Got Their Shapes" on History Channel

I haven't watched it, but I'm going to DVR "How the States Got Their Shapes." It is airing on the History Channel on Tuesday. I saw a commercial and it looks really intersting!

 (photo from my "Drawing the United States" post)

Here's what I found online: Most Americans are 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 and why does Oklahoma have a panhandle? This documentary shows how borders were determined because of the shifting boundaries of slavery, and unexpected events such as earthquakes. The program blends geography and history, showing how state borders have been affected by politics and the natural world. 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.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the heads up! Just set the DVR.

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  2. I just set my DVR too! Thanks for sharing this information!

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  3. Hmmm..... I always thought it had something to do with geographical boundaries, like rivers. But it'll be an interesting program. Thanks for the heads up.

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  4. Is there a way to pull it off the DVR? I would liek to show it in class. BTW it was really interesting.

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  5. My daughter and I are really enjoying this program, too. We've been watching it 30 minutes at a time, and have 30 minutes to go. We've already learned so much!

    As far as pulling it off the DVR - I just don't know. Hopefully, you can Google or ask someone else. Sorry I'm not able to help!

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  6. Anonymous1:29 PM

    Any possibility that this great program can be made available for Library distribution? It would be a wonderful contribution to our collective understanding of our country
    Thanks

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