The States
The States is a 2007 American documentary television series about the history of each state in the United States of America, narrated by Edward Herrmann. The show documents each of the 50 states in the union. The show begins with an introduction to the five states to be documented within the episode. Each state's segment begins with the narrator giving a clue as to what that state might be, and then revealing the answer. There is then a billboard that pops up showing the state nickname, motto, population, population ranking within the union, date the state entered the union, and state flag. During interviews with historians or notable people from a state, the state's quarter is shown. Since the series was produced in 2007, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii are shown with their flags. Those quarters were released in 2008 The show then highlights the history of the state itself, including notable events that have happened there, and highlights other noteworthy things in that state. In 2010 a sister presentation and then series, How the States Got Their Shapes was aired.
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Cast
Seasons
- Ep 1
1.California, North Carolina, Kansas, New Hampshire, West Virginia
21-04-200760mThe San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and subsequent major tremors along the San Andreas Fault prompted California scientists to explore ways to predict the next "big one. "England'...
- Ep 2
2.Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Iowa, Delaware
28-04-200760mAnother history lesson filled with surprising facts, figures and stories from five American states. Texas hit the jackpot in 1901 with the discovery of oil at Spindletop Well in Be...
- Ep 3
3.New York, Louisiana, Oregon, New Mexico, Vermont
TBA60mTravel back to the origins of New York City at New Amsterdam, the 16th century Dutch merchant colony. Discover how French Acadians fled Canada in 1873 to settle in Louisiana, devel...
- Ep 4
4.New Jersey, Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Alaska
12-05-200760mCrossing the icy Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776, allowed George Washington to surprise the British at Trenton, a critical American victory in the Revolutionary War. One of...
- Ep 5
5.Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Hawaii, South Carolina, Montana
19-05-200760mGround Hog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, dates back to 1886 and an ancient European holiday called Candlemass Day. Garrison Keeler and his A Prairie Home Companion radio progr...
- Ep 6
6.Florida, Indiana, Washington, Utah, Rhode Island
TBA60mHurricanes, lightning and alligator-filled swamps made Florida an unwelcome candidate for statehood, yet it continues to draw more and more people annually. In 1900, Indianapolis,...
- Ep 7
7.Illinois, Connecticut, Nevada, Mississippi, Wyoming
02-06-200760mThe Cahokia civilization thrived in the region known today as Illinois, from 700 to 1400 AD, but when the culture mysteriously disappeared, it left behind pyramids that rivaled tho...
- Ep 8
8.Virginia, Ohio, Idaho, Alabama, North Dakota
TBA60mVirginia was not only the home of the first permanent British colony; it was the birthplace of eight presidents of the United States. "The Gravity Grand Prix" has been an annual ev...
- Ep 9
9.Michigan, Tennessee, Maine, Missouri, South Dakota
16-06-200760mMichigan's logging industry helped build fortunes, but over-harvesting also threatened the environment. Davy Crocket, the coonskin-capped congressman from Tennessee, became more le...
- Ep 10
10.Georgia, Colorado, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland/DC
23-06-200760mStone Mountain, Georgia, a monument to three heroes of the Confederacy, dwarfs Mt. Rushmore. The Denver Mint in Colorado, which produces the most coins in the world, started out du...
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