Plot Synopsis

Brian Unger travels across America to speak with local experts and everyday folks as he explores how state borders evolved in response to religion, transportation, communication, politics, culture clashes and even Mother Nature. In Season 1, which is comprised of 60-minute episodes, Unger discovers not only how the states got their shapes, but how the states have shaped the people living there. Plus, Unger searches for answers to some of this nation's most baffling geographical, historical, and political 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? Why did the invention of air conditioning change how America picks its Presidents? When the series returned for a second season, it switched networks to H2 with 30-minute episodes having a different focus. This time, Unger quizzes Americans about what unites us and what really divides the states, while exposing some of America's most stubborn regional rivalries. Plus, competitors can make some fast cash and show their state pride by proving just how well they know their United States. Unger travel state-to-state from Pittsburgh, PA; Miami, FL and Seattle, WA to Chicago, IL; St. Louis, MO and Nashville, TN. History first aired this program as a two-hour special on Tuesday, April 6, 2010.