History Channel - How the States Got Their Shapes Series 1 (2013) Part 10 Mouthing Off

How the States Got Their Shapes: Series 1

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.

Part 10: Mouthing Off

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?

How the States Got Their Shapes (Wikipedia)

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