Lost States

Chicago the 51st state?

2011-11-23T14:16:00.000-06:00

Two rural Illinois legislators want to expel Chicago from Illinois. Their idea is to force Chicago to become the 51st state, so the rest of Illinois won't be dominated by the Windy City. News reports, however, miss the irony of all this—it used to be the other way around. That is, back in the 1920s, Chicagoans were the ones who wanted to form a new state, because they felt dominated by "downstate" legislators.

The current movement doesn't seem to have all that much support, but the 20s version did... at least in Chicago. The city council actually voted in favor of beginning a secession movement.

So if the 1920s' Chicago rabble-rouser John B. Fergus could meet with the current separatist leader, Rep. Bill Mitchell of Decatur, the 51st state movement might have some legs.

News reports here and here.

The town in two states

2011-11-09T08:22:00.000-06:00

The fine folks of Price Place, Arkansas seem to live in two states simultaneously. They pay taxes to Arkansas, but their kids go to Missouri schools. Their Arkansas drivers licenses say they live in Missouri. It's really weird. And now it's about to change. These Arkansas residents will actually get Arkansas addresses... and they are really mad about it. Yeah, I don't get it either, but one thing is clear: this is one state border that should be re-routed. You can get the full story here.

All 50 states mentioned in movies

2011-09-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how anyone could have enough free time to create this, but I'm glad they did. If you are studying state capitals in school, or just curious, here are all 50... through snippets in movies.

Hiatus

2011-09-14T07:16:00.000-05:00

Real life is ramping up—so I'm going to have less time for this blog in the coming months. It's a bit of a bummer, because creating a new map every day has been a lot of fun. But, alas, my family needs me to do stuff that actually pays the bills. I'll try to post occasionally... but the daily geographic curiosity... well, that's going on hiatus. MIKE

Weekly World News - flag "fail"

2011-09-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

I put "fail" in quotes, because, of course, everything in Weekly World News is a silly joke. After all, this is the paper that once defended itself in a libel case by telling the judge that no one actually believes anything they write. So I wasn't all that surprised by an article that claims Mexico will be the 51st state. It's all in good fun. But what was surprising was the flag they used to illustrate the story (above). It has 140 stars! I could understand a 51-star flag, or maybe a flag with 81 stars.... adding in the 31 states of Mexico. But a 140 star flag? Does no one at the paper know how many states we have? Or did they think their audience is stupid enough to think that 50 + 1 = 140. Oh.

Young state riddle

2011-09-12T06:59:00.000-05:00

Just four US states are less than 100 years old. Can you name them? Two are so easy, I included them on the map above: Alaska and Hawaii. But can you name the other two youngsters? The answer is here.

County named after killer

2011-09-09T06:30:00.001-05:00

So an outsider comes to town and shoots one of the locals dead in cold blood. The shooter is then hailed as a hero, and the townfolk decide to name a county after the killer. This is the true story of Louisa County, Iowa.

In the 1830s, William Smith wanted a mining claim owned by the Massey family. So Smith and his son shot and killed Woodbury Massey... and then rode through town proclaiming that they'd kill any other Masseys they could find. At this point, Woodbury Massey's brother, Henry, took preemptive action and killed William Smith. Then the story gets interesting. 16-year-old Louisa Massey, sister of Woodbury and Henry, arrives in town and cooly proclaims she's just doing some shopping. But when she spots the younger Smith in the store, she pulls out a gun and shoots him dead too.

Louisa became an instant hero. Newspaper reports wrote: "The upper river county went wild with her praise. No war hero was ever welcomed with greater enthusiasm... cheering throngs greeted her at every stop." What is the moral of this story? I have no idea. Certainly, no one today wants 16-year-old girls involved in revenge killings. It might be one thing to exonerate Louisa, but to make her a hero, and name a county after her? It all seems very strange. You might explain it by saying that times were different then; but after Lincoln was shot, nobody was clamoring to create John Wilkes Booth county. About the only explanation I can come up with: the Smiths must have been some really mean and nasty dudes.

You can read contemporaneous news reports about Louisa Massey here. And a book here. (Another great story for a screenwriter. But who to play Louisa? Hailee Steinfeld? Dakota Fanning? Selena Gomez?)

Sitcom quiz - Packerland version

2011-09-08T07:08:00.000-05:00

You expect TV sitcoms to be set in Los Angeles or New York. But Wisconsin? Sure enough, at least five major sitcoms have been set in the Dairy state. Why is Wisconsin so popular? I have no idea. But as a Wisconsinite, I do get a laugh every time I see mountains in the background on one of these shows. Or actors who try to have a Wisconsin accent, but invariably sound Chicago-ish. Anyway, you can see the 5 shows identified here. And if you can think of any others, let me know...

Why is this street sign illegal?

2011-09-07T06:56:00.000-05:00

Can you guess why the top sign is illegal and the bottom one is not? It's because he Federal government just doesn't like all caps—and it was forcing cities to rip down perfectly good all-cap signs and replace them with mixed-lettering signs. Until last week, that is—when common sense prevailed, and the Feds backed off on their demand. New York City alone projected the cost of changing the signs to be $27 million. Milwaukee would have needed $5 million. Even if the all-cap signs are harder to read, there is a sane way to handle this. Just replace the all-cap signs with mixed signs when they wear out. Is that so hard? Apparently it is, because it took our Federal government many months to capitulate. At the same time, I do understand that you want uniformity in traffic signs—you wouldn't want red stop signs in Iowa and purple ones in Minnesota. But ripping down a street sign only because it's all-caps? That's just bizarre. The only people in favor of that would be the sign manufacturers... hmmm.. better check their campaign contributions.

Our government's geography test: full of bias and errors

2011-09-06T07:26:00.002-05:00

The National Association of Educational Progress is a government organization that tells us how our kids are doing in many subjects, including geography. But digging into the actual standardized test questions reveals some biased politics and bizarre geographic ideas. Let me give you one sample question that our American kids have to answer:
2010 ACTUAL QUESTION: Tropical forests are being destroyed at the rate of at least eleven million hectares each year, an area the size of Pennsylvania. About half of all tropical forests are already gone. Discuss two major reasons for this high rate of tropical deforestation.
OK, this is wrong on so many levels. Let's break it down:
"11 Million hectares destroyed"
No serious scientist today would validate this number. It dates back to a rough estimate made by a single Brazilian scientist looking at satellite photos of fires in the Amazon—in the 1980s! Yeah, it's a 30-year-old number based on sketchy information. Scientists today put the number at one-tenth that figure.
"...each year."
This implies there is a steady onslaught of rain forest destruction. Not so. There were some bad years in the 1980s, but things have changed radically since then. A report from last year showed a 90 percent drop in lost forest area.
"About half of all tropical forests are already gone"
Why is this sentence here? Seriously; it is absolutely unnecessary. The only reason to include this sentence is to make a political point.
"Tropical Forests"
This seems like an innocent phrase, but it's actually very tricky. Note how the test uses the term "tropical forest" not "tropical rain forest" That's because the test writers know full well that most deforestation in the Amazon is taking place in the chaco (dry forest) which is not an area of biodiversity. The wet tropical forests have a much slower rate of deforestation than chaco land.
"already gone"
Another subtle bias here: The word "already" is unnecessary, added to create a sense of urgency. In truth, deforestation has been going on in the Americas for hundreds of years.

Don't misunderstand—I'm not in favor of deforestation. But a standardized test isn't the place to push a point of view. And this wasn't the only question that had an obvious agenda. You can read through the questions on your own here.

One letter wrong

2011-09-02T06:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was driving through Tichigan. Yes, you read that right. There is a small town on Wisconsin named Tichigan. Passing through, I wondered: how many times do they have to say, "It's Tichigan, not Michigan"? It must be exhausting. That made me think there must be other places that are one letter off from famous locations—causing endless confusion. Like the beleaguered folks from Milwaukie, Oregon... or residents of The Dalles, Oregon (who at least have that weird "The" at the beginning to prevent complete confusion with Dallas, Texas). My personal favorite is a small town in Wisconsin named Arkansaw... yeah, with a "w" (above). Of course, the biggest example of this problem is Iran and Iraq; Tim Pawlenty embarrassed himself badly mixing up the two recently. Maybe that's why he left the race. See, geography really is important!

Forgotten secession: when the original 13 tried to split.

2011-08-31T06:51:00.000-05:00

In 1812-13 there was a movement in the original thirteen states to secede from the rest of the nation—an idea first championed by a guy named John Lowell of Massachusetts. You have to admit there was some logic to this. As the United States expanded, the original 13 states had less and less influence. Even a third grader can do the math: in the late 1700s, the two Massachusetts senators made up nearly 8 percent of the US Senate. Today, it's just 2 percent. Lowell thought his state had less and less control of its own affairs, so he advocated expelling the western states from the Union. The governors of both New York and Maryland liked the idea. Lowell laid out his argument in a tract with the less-than-snappy title: Thoughts in a series of letters, in answer to a question respecting the division of the states. By a Massachusetts farmer. The idea was popular in certain influential circles, but eventually it died out. Maybe if Lowell had come up with a more catchy title... like "Think Small." You can read more about it here or read all of Lowell's original tract here.

Italian guy creates his own nation

2011-08-30T06:59:00.000-05:00

Italy has always been a land of micronations, city-states, and enclaves. Even today, San Marino and Vatican City are tiny independent nations surrounded by Italian soil. So why not one more? That's the idea of Luca Sellari, the new mayor of the Italian city of Fillettino. When the Italian government decided to save money by forcing towns of less than 1,000 to merge with neighboring cities—that was enough to hatch Sellari's plan. He wants to make Fillettino (pop. 598) an independent kingdom. And who will be the monarch? Sellari thinks he'd do the job just fine. He even started printing up money with his face on it.

Sellari isn't the only mayor in Italy trying to save his city from annexation. Some towns on the bubble are inviting displaced Libyans to come and live. Others have pointed out that the cost savings of merging the small cities is actually less than the Italian Parliament spends on catering. It's not likely Fillettino will succeed, but politics in Italy has never been predictable. (You can read more here.)

Worst geography blunder in a movie?

2011-08-29T07:26:00.000-05:00

What movie has the worst geography error? Steven Seagal's Submerged is is classic—portraying Uruguay as mountainous (it's actually flatter than Kansas). Then there's the goof in Armageddon, where people all over the earth simultaneously celebrate the asteroid exploding—but it's not nighttime anywhere (That's a Michael Bay movie... he is notorious for this stuff). And there's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which consistently confuses Mexico and Peru. But my personal favorite is the 1969 disaster movie Krakatoa, East of Java that actually won an Academy Award. The problem: Krakatoa is west of Java. Ooops. (More movie geography errors here)

The Rodney Dangerfield nation

2011-08-26T07:10:00.000-05:00

"I don't get no respect" ...that was the catchphrase of comedian Rodney Dangerfield. And it might as well be the slogan of the new nation of South Sudan. 48 days after independence... and it's still not on Google Maps. These things take time, you might think. Not really. When rebel forces took control of Tripoli this week, Google changed names on its Libya map within hours. Yes, hours. But South Sudan is still waiting. There's an excellent article about all this at Mashable. Maybe South Sudan should just change it's name to South Dangerfield. At least then it would get some attention.

Obama's secession secret?

2011-08-25T07:31:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot of criticism of Rick Perry's talk of Texas secession, but at least he's not giving his vacation dollars to a government that recently voted to secede—like President Obama is. OK, it's a stretch, I admit... but it is kind of funny that Obama is vacationing on Martha's Vineyard—one of the only places in the north that actually voted in favor of secession. And it wasn't centuries ago... it was 1977. The people of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket were so mad at Massachusetts, they actually voted to leave the state. There was some talk of forming a new country, but most of the proposals had Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard joining Vermont. Or perhaps Hawaii. Yeah, Hawaii offered an invitation. Wait a minute, that's where Obama's from! Conspiracy theorists, start your engines!

OK, nobody actually believes that President Obama sides with Martha's Vinyard's lingering secessionists. So if secession came up, on say, a political talk show, I'd expect Obama's spokespeople to deny any silly secessionist talk. Wait a second! Obama's campaign advisor Robert Gibbs can't seem to stop talking about secession! And press secretary Jay Carney is no better. Yes, I know they are poking at Perry, but it strikes me as odd to point the "He's a secessionist" finger when their man is actually staying on Secession Island.

Criminal Corner - Another spot for the perfect crime?

2011-08-24T07:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we laid out the case made by legal scholar Brian Kalt that major crimes committed in the Idaho portion of Yellowstone National Park can not be prosecuted because of a legal loophole. Reader DanV wisely wondered why the same situation wouldn't also apply to the Montana portion of the park.

It does, sort of. Remember, the reason criminals would go free in Loophole Land is because a jury could not be formed from residents of the required location (the Idaho portion of the park) because no one lives there. But the Montana portion of the park does have residents... about 40 of them. That said, a sharp lawyer could argue that 40 people isn't enough of a pool from which to draw a jury, but a judge could reasonably disagree.

But if your heart is set on committing the perfect crime in Montana's "Criminal Corner" you do have one other option—get your buddies to do the same thing. While 40 residents might be enough for one jury, it wouldn't be enough for 3 or 4 simultaneous trials. So if you and your friends commit multiple crimes... and draw straws... only the loser would likely face a trial. That's because—by the time the 3rd or 4th trial could be scheduled—too much time would have passed for the "speedy" trial required by law.

But again, don't try this at home. Crime is bad. Prof. Kalt agrees... he just wants the loophole closed.

Loophole land—where crimes can't be prosecuted. Really.

2011-08-23T06:59:00.000-05:00

According to a law professor from Michigan, there is small section if Idaho where major crimes can not be prosecuted—thanks to a giant blunder by Congress.

The problem begins with the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming, but a sliver of the park extends into Idaho and Montana. When Congress created the U.S. District Court of Wyoming it included all of Yellowstone National Park. Big mistake.

Stay with me here.... so let's say you commit a murder in the portion of Idaho that's in the park (The red "Loophole Land" on my map). You'd be arrested and bound over for trial in the US District court in Cheyenne, Wyoming. But Article III of the Constitution states that the trial must be held in the state where the crime was committed—in this case Idaho. So you are sent to Idaho for trial. No problem there. But the Sixth Amendment also says that the jury must be drawn from the state and District where the crime was committed. The state is Idaho... but the District is the Wyoming District (which includes the sliver of Idaho that's in the park). So the jury would have to be drawn from residents who live in the portion of Idaho that lies in the park.

And that's where it gets interesting: nobody lives in that patch of Idaho. Nobody. No jury pool means no trial, means you go free.

This curious loophole was discovered by Prof. Brian C. Kalt, a respected legal scholar from Michigan State University. Georgetown Law Journal is reporting on the matter in an upcoming issue. (You can read Kalt's full article here)

Of course, committing crimes is bad. Don't do it. But if you're a screenwriter, this is great stuff! Maybe Dick Wolf will start a new series Law and Order: Idaho just to take advantage of this legal anomaly.

And if all this wasn't bizarre enough, Idaho's "Loophole Land" is just a few steps from another patch of American soil that also fell outside the law. Dubbed "Lost Dakota" it was a few acres of land that—erroneously—were not part of any state and thus, theoretically, outside the reach of law enforcement. (Much more on this in my book Lost States) Eventually that situation was fixed when Lost Dakota became a part of Montana. But Loophole Land remains an unsettling, well, loophole. If your nemesis suggests a camping trip near the Idaho/Wyoming border.... don't go!!!

When Hawaii was Russian

2011-08-22T06:54:00.000-05:00

Hawaii became a U.S. state 52 years ago yesterday. One long-forgotten chapter in Hawaii's history is when the Russians tried to take control of the islands. Back in the early 1800s, Hawaii was a coveted port for whalers. So, in 1816, the Russians began building a fort on Oahu, hoping to control the islands. King Kamehameha I would have none of it, and forced them off the island without any bloodshed. But the Russians didn't go home. Instead, they tried to build their fort on nearby Kauai. When Kamehameha found out, he took more severe action—deporting the Russians to California. This ended Russia's plans in Hawaii, opening the door for the United States a few decades later.

(There's a terrific article about the statehood struggle of Hawaii (and the possibility of a 51st state) in yesterday's Buffalo News—written by Alexander Heffner.)

The place that's name shall not be spoken

2011-08-19T06:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to write the name of this place, because I fear Google will put up some weird ads. Hey, this is a family-friendly site! Still, it's a real place in Macon County, Georgia—between Mooney Gap and Bearpen Gap. You have to admit that it's kind of funny that there is a place with that name. If fact there are several. The term means an "abrupt, broken off end of a ridge or mountain." OK, sure. Your can read about this and other odd place names here.

The Northwestern Confederacy

2011-08-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

Secession-talkers like Rick Perry get a lot of heat these days, but the truth is, America has always had leaders who advocated leaving the Union. And I don't just mean in the Civil War era. There were secessionists at the very beginning—and we still have them today. We'll look at several of these stories in the coming weeks.

Above is a map of a little known secessionist chapter in American history, called the Northwestern Confederacy. Southerners hoped the northwestern states (which then was Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa) might also secede from the United States and form their own nation; or join with the south. There was actually a very practical reason for the northwestern states to do this. Many of their goods traveled down the Mississippi to market. Since the Confederacy controlled the southern half of the river, the Northwest needed good relations with the south in order to avoid economic hardship.

The idea was centered in Indiana, where even governor Thomas Hendricks said in 1862, "The first and highest interest of the Northwest is in the restoration and preservation of the Union but if the failure and folly and wickedness of the party in power render a Union impossible then the mighty Northwest must take care of herself and her own interests." So the idea of a Northwestern Confederacy had the support of many farmers—but they weren't alone. The northwest also had its share slavery proponents, and people who just wanted to end the war any way possible. Certainly, the creation of a Northwest Confederacy would have weakened the north and almost certainly ended the war.

Then again, the idea was considered treasonous.... which may be the main reason support didn't grow to any sort of tipping point.

Is Kansas flatter than a pancake?

2011-08-17T06:55:00.000-05:00

Scientists at Arizona State and Texas State have focused considerable research energy on one of the great questions of our time: Is Kansas really flatter than a pancake? Of course, they used the standard measure of flatness: The length of an ellipse’s semi-major axis A is compared with its measured semi-minor axis B using the formula for flattening, f = (a – b) / a. Of course.

Using a standard IHOP pancake, the team calculated a flatness of .957, which is flat, but shy of perfect flatness (which would be a 1.0). Applying the same formula to the topography of Kansas, the scientists came up with .9997, which is much much flatter than a pancake. So it's not really right to drive through Kansas and say, "This place is as flat as a pancake." However, if you ever went to IHOP and got a particularly flat pancake, you would be OK in saying, "This pancake is a flat as Kansas."

Thank university scientists by Mark Fonstad, William Pugatch, and Brandon Vogt, for solving this vexing question.

Snooki vs Montana

2011-08-16T07:12:00.000-05:00

No one is likely to be surprised that Snooki from Jersey Shore is a bit of a dim bulb. But her geographic illiteracy was on full display last week when she was interviewed by a Montana radio station. Snooki asked, "Where is Montana? Is that a state?"

That gives me an idea for next season... send Snooki and company to Montana... let 'em work on a ranch... get bucked off a bronco... step in buffalo dung. Now that would be entertaining.

Rick Perry and Texas secession revisited

2011-08-15T07:23:00.000-05:00

Can Texas secede from the Union, as presidential candidate Rick Perry once suggested? Probably not. Can Texas split into multiple states pretty much whenever it wants? Yes, absolutely—and, most Texans of the 19th century assumed this would happen. The question was not "if," but "when" and "how." There were multiple plans introduced into the Texas legislature over the years, some for two Texases (or is it Texi?), others for three or four. One proposal that got introduced multiple times is shown in the map above. In its most-recent iteration (1870) it was called the Beaman plan and divided Texas in three: Jefferson in the east, Matagorda in the west and Texas in the middle. The proposal didn't get enough votes, but Texans kept trying. (Several of the plans are described—with maps—in Lost States)

Now that Rick Perry is officially in the presidential race, I wish he'd clarify his statement about secession. He might be a great potential president; he might be a lousy one—I have no way of knowing. But I do know that the jury is still out on his command of American history and geography. The right to split into multiple states is explicitly true for Texas, although it's also true for any state. While Texas has never split, Massachusetts has—creating Maine. Virginia also split, creating West Virginia.

But the topic of secession (that is, leaving the US) is more tricky. The last time any state tried it, a civil war was triggered, and we all know how that turned out. That said, historians and scholars like Thomas Woods point out that secession isn't actually unconstitutional. The whole thing is a lot more nuanced than you learned in elementary school. Rick Perry might actually have a command of this stuff... or he might have it all wrong. It's not clear just yet which one that is.

Kanawha - the rough draft of West Virginia

2011-08-12T07:53:00.000-05:00

Before West Virginia was, well, "West Virginia," it was "Kanawha." That was the original name for a proposed state that would split from Virginia. The idea actually dates back to long before the Civil War. And the reason is crystal clear on this historic map. Darker-shaded counties have more slaves, lighter counties have fewer. You can see at a glance that the people of western Virginia had fewer slaves, and thus were much less interest in preserving the institution of slavery. When statehood finally came to pass, the shape of the new state was pretty close to the plan of Kanawha. What I can't figure out, however, is why the "N" in Kanawha is backward.

Garden of Eden - located!

2011-08-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

Has the Garden of Eden been located? New scientific research, coupled with coordinates laid out in the Bible itself, mean it may indeed be possible to determine the garden's location on a modern map. This shouldn't be all that surprising of a development. Archeology consistently validates the historicity of Biblical geography. Even non-believing archeologists recognize that the Bible describes real places. (For lots more on this, here's a great article by my favorite author Paul L. Maier)

But what about the Garden of Eden? Most Christians believe it was a real place, but unlike Jerusalem or Rome, its ancient location is not obvious. Yet the Bible does offer a surprisingly detailed description of the Garden of Eden's location. The problem has always been that that researchers could not find two of the rivers mentioned in the Biblical description. Modern hydrological sciences have recently solved that problem, giving scientists all the data necessary to triangluate the Garden of Eden.

But the data didn't add up. Until recently, that is—when Phd hydrologist Ward Sanford offered an elegant solution. You can read his full report here (scroll down for the details). But first, watch our video above to find out where the Garden of Eden likely was (or is).

National Geographic's map fail

2011-08-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

The National Geographic Society should know better. I've always been a little frustrated that their yellow-bordered National Geographic magazine seems to focus more on sharks and bears—and less on actual geography. Today, for example, their home page features robots playing soccer. How is that geography, exactly? I mean, if they had a real focus on maps and geography, they never would have used the photo above to promote their "National Geographic World Championship."(It's kind of like a geography bee). Of course, no disrespect to Pranav Bhandarkar, Stefan Petrovic´, or Anthony Cheng who are all admirable young participants. The issue is the map. Regular readers will see the blunder right away. Here's a hint: the World Championship took place just a few days ago... in late July.

Swim from Cuba to US ends

2011-08-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

This morning, Diana Nyad had to end her quest to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to the United States. She made it half way, which is nothing to sneeze at. Still, what was Nyad trying to prove? She claims the purpose of the swim was to demonstrate the youthfulness of people in the 60+ age group. I guess. But don't we already know that? Two words: Helen Mirren.

I think the bigger point to make here is just how ridiculously close Cuba is to the United States. Given its strategic position, Cuba has been considered for statehood more than once in US history. In fact, the only reason Cuba isn't a state right now is because the U.S. Congress of the early 1900s objected to giving citizenship to millions of people of color. Fighting prejudice—maybe that's the topic Nyad can highlight in her next try. (More on Cuba's almost-statehood in Lost States)

Tennis pro fails geography

2011-08-08T07:19:00.000-05:00

When tennis pro Bojana Jovanovski landed in Carlsbad, New Mexico for the Mercury Insurance Open last week, everything seemed fine—until she realized she was in the wrong Carlsbad. The tournament was in Carlsbad, California. Oops. If only her travel planner had a paid a bit more attention in geography class, she wouldn't have made the 1,000 mile blunder. Jovanovski did eventually get to her match in California... with just minutes to spare. She lost. Hopefully, her next stop won't be Wimbledon Boulevard in Columbus, Ohio. (You can read more about Jovanovski's Carlsbad experience here.)

Columbus stamp goof - revealed

2011-08-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we posed the question: What's the geography goof on the 1993 Columbus stamp? I must say I had the same question as reader Phil, who wondered about possible lines of latitude and longitude on the map that's laying in front of Isabella. So I blew up the image (upper left), revealing that the lines are not parallel, so that's not really a mistake. At least I don't think so. And, like reader Enigma149, I did see Florida on the map—which Columbus would not have known. But, in fairness, that's probably more of Rorschach blot.

The big error, (as readers Ken, tkrausse, and kzimman noted) was the globe. Yes, most smart people in 1492 knew the world was round, but there was just one globe in existence (as far as historians can tell), and it never left Germany. And that globe wasn't a tabletop model—it was a much bigger, floor-standing unit. So that's the most serious error in the stamp above. But there is one more thing... as best we know, Columbus was 41 when he made the pitch to Isabella. Does the guy in the stamp look 41 to you? That's the same age Vince Vaughn is now... and Jack Black. Ah, there's a high-concept movie idea: Jack Black as Christopher Columbus.

US stamp's Columbus error

2011-08-04T06:24:00.000-05:00

This 1992 US stamp has a significant geography goof. It's supposed to show Columbus pitching Isabella on the idea of a westward journey across the Atlantic. But one thing in this scene is all wrong. By the time historians caught it, the stamp was already in circulation—and it was never changed. To view it more closely, I've posted a much bigger version here. Take your guesses... the answer tomorrow!

Naming rights for Tennessee

2011-08-03T07:45:00.000-05:00

Should the state of Tennessee sell naming rights as a way to make money? The idea was floated the other day by Knoxville humorist Scott McNutt. Of course, McNutt was making a joke, but one major city actually did sell off naming rights to large corporation. And it retains the company name to this day. (More on this here and here.) Anyway, McNutt suggested selling Tennessee's naming rights to Pilot/Flying J... but I think that one of Tennessee's bigger employers would be a more natural fit. How about "Fedexessee"? It kind of rolls off the tongue nicely. Of course, the state flag would have to be updated to purple and orange. Got a better idea? Add your suggestions.

Ironic Grant County

2011-08-02T06:23:00.000-05:00

Grant County, Oregon voted to declare itself a "United Nations-Free Zone" over concerns that the UN has plans to send in the black helicopter fleet, confiscate everyone's guns, and and enslave the local children (oh, wait, that last part's from TNT's new series Falling Skies). The fact that Grant county wants to separate itself from the rest of the USA isn't all that unusual, but it seems that no one there gets the irony. You see, Grant county is named for Ulysses S. Grant. 150 years ago, when another group of citizens didn't like what the government was doing, Ulysses Grant led the army that put a stop to the uprising. It's kinda like Bourbon county, Kansas—where bourbon is illegal. It's funny... and the irony makes it hard to take them too seriously. So maybe the first step Grant County should take is to change its name.... maybe rename itself after some famous statesman who was against the United Nations. I can see the sign now, "Welcome to Charles de Gaulle county, Oregon."
(Read more about Grant county's anti-UN ways in this article by Jason Plautz)

The unfriendly place?

2011-08-01T07:54:00.000-05:00

Above is an unretouched detail from a very popular map... can you guess what place this is? Note the politically incorrect "Unfriendly Indian" village... a settler's cabin that's been set on fire (presumably by the unfriendly Indians); even arrows sticking out of the cabin, from the Indians' attempt to kill the settlers. Still don't know where this is? Here's a hint. You've probably been there. I was—at age 7—just five years after this map was created. (For the answer, see the full map here.)

The map that made Colorado angry

2011-07-29T07:42:00.000-05:00

Above is an excerpt from the government’s 1947 plan to build the US Interstates. The map closely approximates the highways as they were actually built years later... with one major exception. This map has no interstate heading west from Denver. It’s not a mistake. In 1947, most highway engineers couldn’t imagine building a freeway west from Denver, because that’s where the Rocky Mountains begin. Back then (and now) roads were built around mountains... or through mountain passes. But west of Denver, the Rockies present a massive wall-like front. An Interstate would be ridiculously expensive and complicated to build. Case closed, right?

Nope. When Colorado lawmakers saw the map, the went apoplectic. To them, extending I-70 west of Denver was a key to economic growth. Mountain highways mean ski resorts, and ski resorts make lots of money. After the tantrum, Colorado’s politicians got their way—I-70 was built, and America got better access to Vail.
(You can see the full 1947 map here and the updated plan here)

Wayward Mountain Lion - route revealed

2011-07-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about this wayward mountain lion that supposedly wandered from the Black Hills to Connecticut? I have a hard time buying this story, but scientists say tracking data proves it. One thing is sure: his actual route remains a mystery. Did this big kitty go through Canada as some scientists believe? Maybe. But why? There's not much up there for the feline tourist. I think maybe he was on a quest to visit his kittycat friends... the Detroit Lions and Tigers... the Cincinnati Bengals... and the Carolina Panthers. (mercifully, I stopped trying to come up with sports teams named after cats, but feel free to add your own)

ERA map: Half-Pint vs Scarlett

2011-07-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

Do you think women should have the same rights as men? In at least 15 U.S states, the legislature is not so sure. The Equal Rights Amendment is not the law of the land, because more than a dozen state legislatures have voted against it. And this isn’t some complex 5,000-page omnibus proposal. The ERA is just 24 words: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Back in the 1970s when this was hotly debated, opponents said that passing the ERA would mean unisex bathrooms, and women fighting on the front lines in war. The notion that men and women are not identical (very true last time I checked) got mixed up with question of equal rights. People got scared and the whole thing crashed and burned just 3 states short of approval. Opposition was fiercest in the south, but even Illinois couldn’t find the votes to ratify the amendment.

Creating a map of this debate is revealing. Many of the the traditional red states in the mountain west split from their brethren in the south on this issue. That’s because—historically—westerners have held a slightly different perspective on the role of women. For example, Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote. Partly, this has to do with an understanding that it took particularly robust women to survive in the harsh conditions of the pioneering west. If you’re a gal who's tough enough to chop the head off a chicken, go months without bathing, and live in a sod house, no one’s going to tell you you can’t vote. Put another way, those Little House on the Prairie girls are a lot more scrappy than Scarlett O’Hara.

West North Carolina... or Griffith

2011-07-26T07:31:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for the new state of West North Carolina? Yesterday Ashville Citizen-Times columnist John Boyle officially launched the movement to make a new state from counties in western North Carolina. His reasons are the usual stuff—people in the faraway capital just don't seem to care about the hinterlands. Boyle waxed eloquently, "I say we yearn to be free, to shuck the yoke of oppression that Raleigh has kept clamped on our necks for two centuries." That's all fine and good, but here at Lost States, we say you don't have a movement until you have a map! So we took Boyle's description and made one (above). Boyle's next hurdle, (as regular readers know) is to come up with a catchy name. "West North Carolina" is a mouthful. He could take inspiration from the nearby State of Franklin proposal that almost succeeded 200+ years ago, just across the border from Asheville (in what is now Tennessee). Last time I checked, we still don't have a state named "Franklin," so that could work. Or if the new state really wants to get attention, they should honor the region's most-famous son: Andy Griffith. The 51st state of "Griffith"...now there's an idea that will get attention.

51st state of "West Arizona" or ??

2011-07-25T08:04:00.000-05:00

The attempt to split California to create the 51st state has big hurdle—the movement needs to come up with a better name. "South California" won't work, because, well, it not southern Cal. (If you don't have Los Angeles, you can't really be South California.) In an earlier post we suggested "Republicania,"and it seems we are not the only ones mulling this conundrum. Andrew Malcolm at the Los Angeles Times offered a number of choices recently, including New California, English Mexico, and Newer Mexico. Our personal preference was his suggested "West Arizona." After all, the people proposing the split have a lot in common with the prevailing politics in (East) Arizona. Let us know what you think the new state should be named!

MIT study weighs in on the California split

2011-07-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

MIT did a study which tries to identify natural geographic connections by looking at who we text and call. Quoting the MIT release, "in some cases, connectedness follows traditional demarcations such as state lines -- but in other cases, new patterns are emerging." There are all kinds of ramifications, and you can read the details here. The thing that struck me was the three-California split that the MIT study suggests makes sense. It's a lot different from Jeff Stone's recent proposal. And it's markedly different from Assemblyman Stan Statham's 3-state proposal in 1992. For example, Statham puts San Francisco in Central California, but MIT puts the city in the north.

The thing that's cool about the MIT study it that it's based on real people's daily lives. It shows who we are actually connected to, not who we say we are connected to. And it's amazing how many of these connections do follow state lines. California is the only state that the MIT study suggests needs to be split, in most other cases, the study suggests mergers. For example, the Carolinas are one cohesive unit, according to MIT. Fascinating stuff.

Map errors on postage stamps? Yep!

2011-07-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

You'd be surprised how many stamps have major map errors. One classic goof is the above US stamp commemorating the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Unfortunately, the map does not show 1803 Louisiana accurately. Back then, the territory went above the 49th parallel-- meaning the familiar straight-line border at the top of the USA is wrong. Plus, this map includes the bottom of Alabama and Mississippi, (known then as West Florida) as a part of Louisiana. The US didn't acquire that land until 1819. Oops! For a big list of other map mistakes on stamps, visit this site.

The Alaska puzzle puzzle

2011-07-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

You know those wood map puzzles we all had as kids (well, mine was cardboard because we were poor)... anyway, they're a nightmare to manufacture; Rhode Island is too small, the panhandles of Idaho and Oklahoma break easily etc.. So I understand if the puzzle companies have to simplify the borders a bit. A bit. But sometimes they go too far. Check out this Alaska puzzle piece I saw at Target yesterday. That's the worst map of Alaska I've ever seen. And New Mexico's not much better—apparently the map designer never heard of the Gadsden Purchase.

Biggest map goof ever?

2011-07-19T08:01:00.000-05:00

Maps have errors all the time, but usually those errors aren't cast in stone (or a copper-zinc-nickel alloy). But that's exactly what happened with the map on the Georgia commemorative quarter.... they got the map wrong. No kidding. If you have one of these you can look for yourself. The coin doesn't have Dade County, which is the upper left corner of the state. The error is especially weird, because Dade County tried to secede from Georgia in the Civil War era (more on this in Lost States). Yesterday, the Atlanta paper revisited his oddity (their link down, here is another). We're shocked the error was never fixed. (What if it had been a US map... and they had left off Washington DC? Well... that might be an improvement.) Anyway, we were so upset that they never corrected this map goof, that, darn it, we made the fix ourselves. Now, for the first time, you can see what this coin was supposed to look like.

Historian: North Dakota not really a state

2011-07-18T07:45:00.000-05:00

In November of 2012, the people of North Dakota will vote to become a US state. This is no joke. It turns out the 122-year-old state constitution has a flaw that no one noticed until historian John Rolczynski caught it in 1995. You can read up on all the details here, but the outcome is that—technically—North Dakota is still a territory; that is, until they vote to fix the problem next year. Since no one has created an updated map of the 49-state America, we figured it was our duty to do so.

America's most "Desperate" state

2011-07-15T07:35:00.000-05:00

What state do those "Desperate Housewives" live in? Sharp Lost States reader "A B" pointed out evidence that Wisteria lane is located in the state of "Eagle." See the license plate above--from a surreptitious snapshot taken on the show's set. Where Eagle is on the US map will require a bit of homework (more on that later), but I can say this: be glad you don't live there. The place must have the highest crime rate in the world! Consider the violent crimes committed in just a few years on one block of a fairly well-to-do neighborhood: murder, suicide, arson, kidnapping, vehicular manslaughter, fraud and theft. Oh, and there was a serial killer wandering the neighborhood. And a plane just happened to crash there, too. These people can't even go to the grocery store without a shootout. If you visit the Desperate Housewives set, you'll notice the Leave it to Beaver house just down the street. I don't recall Wally and the Beav ever fighting off serial killers.... my how times have changed in that neighborhood!

We get a nice mention in Huffington Post

2011-07-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

The Huffington Post just ran a piece on the California secession plan... with several quotes from yours truly. A big thanks to Huffington Post writer Matt Sledge! Nicely done! Read it here....

"Shutdown" means a map without Minnesota?

2011-07-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

So if Minnesota's government really has "shut down" then wouldn't the map look like the above? I just don't understand these fake "shutdowns." Are they still giving speeding tickets? Do they still collect sales tax? Is the University of Minnesota still holding classes? (If it was winter, would the Golden Gophers hockey team be canceling the season?). It doesn't seem to me like these "shutdowns" are anything other than politicians positioning to blame other politicians.

Of course, this is beginning to get really serious in Minnesota--the fake shutdown now means they can't sell Miller Beer in the state. If that keeps up, my map may turn out to be prescient... Minnesotans will be scrambling to secede and join Wisconsin, where there will never be a shortage of Miller Lite. Or Miller MGD 64, my personal favorite... which I am enjoying as I write this. (Am I desperately hoping someone from Miller will read this and send me a free case? Yep.)

"Supremely Ridiculous"? No so fast Jerry Brown

2011-07-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

California Governor Jerry Brown's spokesman called the new plan to split California in two "a supremely ridiculous waste of everybody's time." No so fast, governor—you're missing the whole point. While it's true that the plan has an astronomically unlikely chance of succeeding, Governor Brown does not seem to grasp the other reason that Article IV, Section 3 of the US Constitution allows for states to be split: it lets people blow of steam. You know, that whole "redress of grievances" thing. In much of the world, people who are unhappy with government start shooting guns—here, we try to make a new state. It's fun, nobody gets hurt, and the would-be statemakers often get their grievances redressed.

And twice, the statemakers actually succeeded in the split—Maine split from Massachusetts, and West Virginia split from Virginia. Is Maine "supremely ridiculous"?

Family trip? Be thankful for good roads

2011-07-12T07:15:00.000-05:00

Planning a family trip in the USA this summer? Most likely, you'll be driving on some of the world's best roads... made possible by the same cranky folks who pressed for new states in the last century. More than one new state proposal was created by rural groups who were dissatisfied with the terrible backcountry roads that were common in America in the 20s and 30s. Bad roads were not just an inconvenience... without a decent way to get crops to market, they were seen as an impediment to prosperity. Our fun little one-minute video (above) tells the story of one of these proposals: Texlahoma.

Impossible to get an accurate world map?

2011-07-11T05:56:00.000-05:00

Today is the first business day of a world with 196 nations (South Sudan was added on Saturday). So where can you get an updated world map? It's harder than you might think. National Geographic isn't selling one. One of the best sources of free maps is the CIA, but their Africa map has not been updated either. Maps.com isn't selling an updated map. Even Google and Bing are not showing the new nation (although I expect them to soon. Let me know when you see it). The British Guardian put out an updated map, but I must say that the coloring is annoying, and it's not easily downloaded. One might expect this lack of maps if South Sudan had been created by some overnight coup. But that's not the case, this country was the result of a treaty signed 6 years ago.... plenty of time to get up to speed. The oddest example is the CIA... the guys who are supposed to be ahead of the curve in world affairs. I'm sure they're not stumbling around today, "What, a new nation?! We better get on this!" So, to reassure the American public that they are on top of things... please, update your maps, CIA.
[My map is only regional, but you can see it here.]

Why Sarah Palin should be in Sudan

2011-07-08T07:32:00.000-05:00

Last week, Sarah Palin reversed her plan to go to Africa for July 9th creation of the world's newest nation: South Sudan. That's too bad. No matter what you think of Sarah Palin, she really should go there. Her presence quite possibly could save lives. Here's the deal: Sudan is suffering from genocide, and when famous folks go there, the region gets media attention—and that makes it harder for mass murders carry out their evil deeds. That's why George Clooney went... good for him! And Franklin Graham has gone dozens of times, setting up hospitals, and doing other charitable work.

In the Arab (and Muslim) north, they want to operate under Sharia law. In the Black (and Christian) south, they don't. That's the reason for splitting the country in two. But if that was all there was to it, this wouldn't be much of a story. The thing is, as Graham explains it, northerners have been exterminating those in the south. Graham adds that “Pastors were nailed to trees. We have been able to identify 1,000 churches destroyed.” The genocide continues because the world has not paid much attention. But when celebrities show up.... well, the world notices. Things get better. That's the power of celebrity (like it or not!)

Sarah Palin had announced she would go for the July 9th birth of the nation, but last week she cancelled—without a good excuse. Fox personality Greta Van Susteren also planned to go... then she cancelled too. Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cancelled her plans to go because of "security concerns." That's all too bad. We need more famous people in Sudan, not less. Hey, let's send those Kardashians over... maybe they can do something useful for a change.

Geographic illiteracy (& Transformers) explained

2011-07-07T08:02:00.000-05:00

Why don't Americans know their geography or history? A big part of the problem is institutions like Crossroads School, the super-exclusive K-12 in Santa Monica where Hollywood stars send their kids. Transformers director Michael Bay is a Crossroads alum, which may help to explain the geographic illiteracy endemic in his films.

Steeped in the religion of post-modernism, Crossroads teaches that right answers aren't really important. Here are actual quotes straight from their web site. You won't believe this:

CROSSROADS

--We believe that the process of learning is more important than the product or “right answer”

--We view students as thinkers with emerging theories about the world rather than as recipients of knowledge from the teacher.
--We believe that students learn from one another and from the world around them rather than solely from the teacher.

This explains why Crossroads graduate Michael Bay dropped Israel from the map in Transformers 2... he wasn't pressured to worry about all those silly facts in school. I can almost hear the teacher telling little Michael, "If you don't think Israel is a country, that's fine. And if you think 2+2=5.... that's your right as an empowered person." So we can't really blame Michael Bay for errors like putting Washington DC in Illinois. The blame begins at places like Crossroads—the school that is prepping the famous of tomorrow (like alum Spencer Pratt).

If you don't see the shortcomings of the Crossroads approach to education, imagine this... let's say you are looking for a doctor to do your heart surgery. Would you want a surgeon trained at a medical school that espouses the Crossroads philosophy? Imagine Crossroads Medical School... "where we believe that students learn from one another and from the world around them --not from an experienced surgeon. We encourage surgical students to cut where it feels right... and develop their own modes of surgical expression unhindered by traditional knowledge."

In fairness, the teachers at Crossroads are all probably nice people who think they are doing the right thing. They actually believe that indoctrinating kids in the "there-is-no-truth" philosophy of post-modernism is a good thing. I would argue that there are facts. And there is an objective right and wrong. History matters. Autobots are good and Decepticons are bad (At least Michael Bay got that one right!)

California split approved by state legislature

2011-07-06T07:53:00.000-05:00

It's true. The California state legislature approved splitting the state in two... back in 1859. The US Constitution Article IV Section 3 states that all it takes to split a state (and thus create a new state) is to get approval of the state legislature and the US Congress. Signoff by a state legislature has occurred three times in American history.
1) Massachusetts voted to set its northern district free to become Maine in 1820.
2) In the Civil War era, the "restored" Virginia government voted to create West Virginia. (There is considerable dispute about the legality of this vote, however).
3) California's legislature voted to split the state in two in 1859.

The first two votes resulted in new states, but California never got officially sliced. Why? The US Congress refused to ratify the plan, because they were worried that a new state would upset the tenuous balance between north and south. Of course, that "balance" was upset shortly thereafter anyway—when the Civil War broke out. Above is the split that the California legislature approved... hoping to create the new state of "Colorado." This week, California legislator Jeff Stone proposed a new split. But his goofy plan certainly doesn't have the support that the 1859 plan had. Hmmm. Maybe in some dusty back room in the US Capitol, the 1859 plan is still sitting there, waiting for Congress to finally give it the thumbs up.

California split - a bad good idea

2011-07-05T07:13:00.000-05:00

There's been talk in the last few days of splitting California to create the 51st state, but advocates have the names all wrong. (OK, the idea is lame too, but we'll get to that in a minute.) Jeff Stone, a Republican Riverside County supervisor proposes splitting California along the lines in the map above. He calls the new states "North California" and "South California." Seriously? He has Los Angeles in North California. He's also put cities that are further north than San Francisco (like Bridgeport) in South California. Huh? A much better name for these two states would be East California and West California. Or better yet, since Stone's real goal to to separate Republicans from Democrats, he might consider my naming suggestion in the bigger map above.

It's true that California should have split a long time ago... and it almost did in 1859 (Watch our video on this). But any proposal that puts Los Angeles and San Francisco in the same state... no one will take that seriously. More on the scheme here.

Michael Bay drops Israel from the map

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

The second Transformers movie concludes with a big battle near the border between Egypt and Jordan. The problem: there is no such border. The two nations don't meet. Israel is in-between. In fact, Israel was totally eliminated from the movie... even though the Israeli air force would have been handy in fighting the Decepticons. This isn't Michael Bay's only head-scratching geography error. In the current Transformers movie, he puts Washington DC in Illinois. Hey, I realize the Transformers movies are not meant to be educational films, but these errors (and lots of others) show the contempt Michael Bay has for his audience. He has to assume that viewers are so stupid, they won't notice this stuff. Maybe he's right. If so, we're all in deep trouble. (That reminds me, I should probably check the DVD of Bay's Pearl Harbor. It wouldn't surprise me if—in Bay's version—the U.S. was attacked by China.)

Michael Bay's map fail

2011-06-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

In the new Transformers movie, one of the endless impossible-to-follow chase scenes takes place in Washington DC. However, Illinois highway signs are clearly visible in the scene. You'd think with all the money spent on special effects, the filmmakers could show enough respect for the audience to at least digitally replace the signs. Does director Michael Bay assume we are so geographically illiterate that no one will really notice? What next, a Los Angeles chase scene with the Statue of Liberty in the background? Actually, we shouldn't be surprised. In the last Transformers movie, Michael Bay completely removed Israel from the map. (More on that tomorrow.) Much thanks to Duane Dudek, who pointed out Bay's geographic disrespect.

Vacation in Pawnee, Indiana!

2011-06-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

Pawnee, Indiana is the setting for NBC's hit sitcom Parks and Recreation. We're taking a bit of a summer break here at Lost States, so we figured we'd take a road trip to Pawnee to check out the Harvest Festival. Sure, some of you spoilsports will try to comment that Pawnee is fictional... but watch our video above (from our most-popular post ever at the Lost States blog) and you might change your mind.

OK, so maybe we won't go to Pawnee... but we are taking a bit of a "stay-cation" here at Lost States. New posts will resume in early July. Thanks!

Sudan's split is looking ugly

2011-06-17T07:42:00.000-05:00

It's just a matter of days now until Sudan splits into two nations, and the divorce is looking ugly. The problem is that the south has the best oil fields, but the north has the pipeline that gets the oil to market. So they have to work out a deal. I'm not optimistic. Heck, the NFL can't even work out a deal. The two Sudans haven't even agreed on a border yet! That's like walking in to the lawyer's office to sign the final divorce papers... without having settled who gets the kids. This can't go well. Then again, Sarah Palin will visit on the day the split becomes official, so maybe she can negotiate the whole thing. Sure. (My map above shows the pipeline and oil fields) More from Reuters.

Surprising policy difference between Obama and Lincoln

2011-06-16T07:26:00.000-05:00

Check out the remarkable thing President Obama said Tuesday about Puerto Rico. In his speech, he stated (regarding the island's future as a state or as an independent country), "When the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you." That might sound reasonable at first, but imagine Lincoln saying, "On the matter of whether to stay in the Union or leave, when the people of South Carolina make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you." Uh, no... Lincoln would never have said that. In fact we fought a war because Lincoln wasn't so big on local governments determining their status on their own.

Don't misunderstand—I'm not saying Obama is right or wrong. Heck, I'm not even saying Lincoln was right or wrong. My only point is that these guys are diametrically opposed on the notion of self-determination.

Puerto Rico: more like Hawaii? Or Philippines?

2011-06-15T07:24:00.000-05:00

There are two ways to handle Puerto Rico. The Hawaiian way or the Philippines way. Both Hawaii and the Philippines (like Puerto Rico) are islands acquired by the US in the 1890s. All three have populations that are ethnically and culturally distinct from the mainland US. All three faced (or face) this question: statehood or independence? In the case of the Philippines, the US considered statehood, but opted to give the islands their independence. In the case of Hawaii, the US considered independence, but opted for statehood. But Puerto Rico is stuck in limbo. The U.S. is like the boyfriend who refuses to get married... and Puerto Rico is the girlfriend who deserves a commitment... or be set free.

Which 51-star flag do you like?

2011-06-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

Which 51-star flag design do you think the USA should adopt when Puerto Rico becomes a state? Given the president's trip to Puerto Rico today, statehood should be a done deal. (Kidding!) Still, when we do get a new state, we'll have to redesign the flag. The three likely candidates are above. Which do you like? I kind of like the one on the right.

Why Republicans should support Puerto Rican statehood

2011-06-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

Pres. Obama with 51-star flag favored by many Puerto Ricans

Tomorrow, president Obama goes to Puerto Rico—putting statehood into the national news cycle for the first time in 50 years. Normally, this is seen as an issue favoring Democrats. That's because if Puerto Rico became the 51st state, two new Democrats would enter the US Senate—at least that's the conventional wisdom. But history tells a different story. When Alaska and Hawaii entered the union, everyone assumed Hawaii would elect two Republican senators, and Alaska two Democrats. No, that's not a typo. Back in 1959, Alaska wasn't Palin-friendly (Sarah hadn't been born yet, but you know what I mean)—it voted mostly Democratic. And Hawaii was considered safe for Republicans. How times have changed.

The point here is that the state of Puerto Rico isn't necessarily going to vote Democratic. Many Latinos are conservative on social issues, and thus vote Republican. The current governor of the island, Luis Fortuño, is a Republican.

One crafty GOP strategy would be to advocate statehood (and grab Latino votes nationwide) by evoking the Lincoln-esque notion that the US should not have any second-class citizens. The talking points would go like this: Puerto Ricans fight in American wars, but they cannot vote for the commander-in-chief. While Luis Fortuño could run for President of the United States, he cannot, by law, vote for himself. This is the kind of injustice Republicans fought and died for 150 years ago. Alas, today, they seem quite happy to ignore the plight of second-class citizens in Puerto Rico—and prefer to let Democrats take the high road on this issue. Regardless of which party carries the ball, the goal should be statehood OR independence. The middle ground—of second-class citizenship—isn't the American way.

Sarah Palin's birth of a nation

2011-06-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

On July 9th, South Sudan becomes the world's newest nation. That same day, Sarah Palin plans to visit South Sudan. I can't decide if this is good, bad, or just weird. I can say that this has been under-reported in American media. First of all, the border remains something of a war zone, so I hope Sarah Palin is packing heat. Kidding aside, is it really wise for Palin to release information about her trip so far in advance? When the president or other high official goes to a war-torn country, it's all top secret until they are actually on the ground.... because (if it's not obvious) that gives bad guys less time to plan.

I'm not saying Palin shouldn't go. Perhaps her presence will call attention to the atrocities in this ravaged country... or give encouragement to the (extremely) new government. But it seems like poor judgement to release this information so far ahead. (ABC News' Dana Hughes is one of the few reporters to stay on top of this story. ) More on South Sudan's nationhood in our previous post.

New country born July 9, 2011

2011-06-09T07:56:00.000-05:00

Your globes and wall maps will be obsolete in just 30 days! That's because on July 9, a new independent nation enters the world. It's South Sudan, born of a treaty between the factions that split the nation of Sudan. The south, which is largely Christian, felt increasingly that independence was necessary to ensure religious freedom (Most northerners are Muslim). Even though this split is only a month away, I was surprised to find a lack of decent maps visualizing this historic change. I especially wanted to see a map that showed the marked climate differences between the dry Sahara north and the more fertile, wetter, south. I couldn't find a map like that, so I made one. The bigger version here has much more detail. (updated, thanks SP)

Don't walk - especially in Florida

2011-06-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

In what state is a pedestrian most-likely to get hit by a car? Florida, by far. But when I read the full report on pedestrian danger, I noticed no map... and it needed one! That's because a trend becomes clear when you plot the data. Specifically, the south is a bad place to be a pedestrian. Why that is, I don't know. And why is say, Alabama, worse than car-crazy California? Is it because there are more elderly drivers in the south? Or is it just the fact that nobody in the north walks in winter, so there's no pedestrians to hit in the tundra states for much of the year? What do you think?? This is actually an important issue. At least one group says that better design of our roads and walkways could have prevented 47,000 pedestrian deaths in the last 10 years. Bigger map HERE.

There's no state named "Rhode Island"

2011-06-07T07:51:00.000-05:00

It's true. There is no state named "Rhode Island." The actual name of the smallest state is "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." "Rhode Island" is just a nickname. The state's official name is so long, it won't fit on any map... no even a map that's actual size. So the state usually goes by its nickname. Last year, voters cast ballots on whether to make the shorter name official. Some thought the word "plantations" had ugly connotations of slavery, others defended the state's history on this issue. The measure lost, and so the long name remains official So, please refer to the state by its official name. I mean, if we start shortening state names for convenience, think of the result. We'd have states named "Al" and "Ken" and "Ida" and "Minni" and "Cal" and "Tex."

Nationhood for Scotland

2011-06-06T07:27:00.000-05:00

Just the name "United Kingdom" implies that at one time the kingdom was not so united. Even casual observers know that many folks in Northern Ireland would like to secede from the United Kingdom and join Ireland. But fewer people are aware that Scotland also has it's share of separatists who want to create a independent nation of Scotland. Reading about this in the Globe and Mail, I was surprised there was no map, but I guess everyone in the U.K. knows where Scotland is. But us Americans, we need a map. So here's a map of what the British Isles would look like under the separatists plan.

Puerto Rico - 11 days to statehood?

2011-06-03T07:20:00.000-05:00

Just 11 days from now, Puerto Rico will get its first presidential visit in 50 years—reigniting the question of whether the island should become the 51st state. Here's why this needs to be resolved: America shouldn't have any second-class citizens. If you're an American, you should have the same rights as everyone else. Puerto Ricans don't. That doesn't necessarily mean Puerto Rico should become a state. Rather it means they should be either in or out. That's always been the deal in America.

Territories were never supposed to be a long-term arrangement. When the Philippines were in the same situation, statehood was considered, but independence was the will of the people. All good. Puerto Rico should do the same: Full statehood, or independence. (And can someone please explain to me why Puerto Rico gets to enter the Miss Universe pageant alongside Miss USA? Do the pageant people not understand that Puerto Rico is part of the United States? Wait, Donald Trump owns that pageant. Now I get it.) Check out the zoomable 1952 map of Puerto Rico above

Strange Maps Point

2011-06-02T07:27:00.000-05:00

Over at the terrific blog Strange Maps, Frank Jacobs recently pointed out some weird American exclaves. By "exclave" he means places in the U.S. that you can't get to by land, unless you go through another country. Point Roberts in Washington State is the best known, but Frank found a couple others in Lake of the Woods in Minnesota.

You can read all about it from Frank, my only contribution here is to reinforce Frank's suggestion that the previously unnamed sliver of America that's just west of Elm Point should be named "Strange Maps Point." In fact, I unearthed a rare map that actually shows the exclave as "Strange Maps Point." It's above. You can zoom in. And check out the islands to the east ;)

Wall Drug - before the interstate

2011-06-01T06:45:00.000-05:00

Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota, is among of the most interesting (and most kitschy) places in the west. It remains a "must-stop" for anyone heading west to Mount Rushmore. Originally, Wall Drug was just a tiny drug store... then they began offering "free ice-cold water." Well, lots of places would give travelers free water, but Wall Drug advertised that fact far and wide with a huge number of clever road signs. The result was an incredible boon--now Wall Drug is a monstrous Disney-esque attraction that has taken over much of the town.

The map above—from 1936—shows just how godforsaken Wall was in the 30s. The roads aren't paved, they're just dirt. The exception are the red roads—they're gravel—and that was as good as it got. So if you ventured across this desert-dry region by car, you wouldn't be able to go much above 35 mph. And in the pre-air-conditioning era, you'd get pretty hot. So you can see the genius of offering "ice-cold" water to thirsty travelers. If only the folks at Wall had thought of putting that water in fancy plastic bottles, and charging $4 a piece—alas, that innovation in water delivery would come later. (You can zoom in on the map above!)

Rick Perry wants to be president.... of what?

2011-05-31T06:43:00.000-05:00

North America's 4 biggest nations—according to Rick Perry.

What country does Texas Governor Rick Perry want to be president of? Late last week, he stuck his toe in the presidential waters, but he didn't clarify which country he thought he might want to lead. Remember, in 2009, he said Texas has a right to secede from the United States and form its own country. So is he considering running for president of the United States of America? Or the Nation of Texas?

Rick Perry might be a great potential US president—or not—I don't know. What I do know is that he makes a lot of mistakes about geography and history. For example, we noted before that he seems to think Juarez is in Texas (it's actually in Mexico). Also, while he's correct that Texas has a unique right to split into separate US states, there is nothing anywhere that supports his claim that Texas has a special right to secede from the Union. Creating new states is totally different from seceding... any 6th grader should understand that. America has added new states 37 times. But the US government has never allowed any state to secede. There was a big war over that.

Admittedly, there is a serious school of scholarship that suggests secession should be legal. Thomas Woods makes a compelling case. But even if that's so, Texas has no "special" right to consider secession. It has the same right that Idaho has.

And fast drivers take note... would a Perry presidency mean the whole country gets an 85 mph speed limit... like they have in Texas??

Forgottonia Revisited

2011-05-27T06:32:00.000-05:00

Forgottonia seems to be a hot topic these days, so I thought I'd revisit the entry from Lost States:
Illinois has lots of freeways. Lots. But one section of the state got left out--the counties in the western bulge. Largely cut off from the rest of the state by the Illinois River, this area didn’t get any fancy freeways in the Interstate boom of the 1960s and 70s. In protest, a group of residents decided to form their own state, Forgottonia. They appointed a governor and tried to attract attention. But what they really wanted was Interstate 72, which would provide a shortcut between Chicago and Kansas City. The highway legislation that would have built I-72 was defeated in Congress in 1968, and then again in the early 70s. Parts of I-72 were eventually built decades later, but even today I-72 only extends to the Illinois-Missouri border.

And so Forgottonia still struggles. Businesses have steadily left. Amtrak’s arm had to be twisted to ensure continued service. The region even had a college up and move to a different state—which is pretty amazing considering the infrastructure they decided to leave behind. Such is the sad story of Forgottonia. It never had a real shot at statehood—and it’s still pretty much forgotten. But they do have corn. Lots and lots of corn. So as long as America keeps drinking 64-ounce fountain drinks, Forgottonia’s people will survive. About the only thing that could hurt Forgottonia today would be medical reports suggesting high-fructose corn syrup isn’t healthy.
Oh.

Loring vs Turner - The Feud

2011-05-26T06:25:00.000-05:00

The fine folks at Baseball Think Factory have been debating a claim made on these pages... namely whether Loring, Montana is the furthest city (in the lower 48) from a major league baseball ballpark. It seems another site (flipflopflyball.com) made the claim that the honor should got to Turner, Montana. So the crack staff at Lost States checked their facts, double-checked them again, then triple-play checked 'em again. And we're still right: it's Loring.... not Turner. Sorry flipflopflyball.com... you know a lot more about baseball than we do... but we do know our maps. For the record, Turner, Montana is 916 miles to Target field in Minneapolis, which is further than Loring (at 878). HOWEVER, Turner is just 825 miles to Safeco Field, much closer than Loring's 879. So Loring's 878 miles from the nearest ballpark makes it the winner (actually the loser, but...). [For you sticklers, we used road miles as suggested by Google Maps]

Atlanta from "Gone With the Wind"

2011-05-25T06:48:00.000-05:00

Gone With the Wind is among the bestselling books of all time. Here at Lost States, we thought it would be fun to see how the story played out on a map. It didn't take long to realize that author Margaret Mitchell used lots of real places in the book—locations than can be pinned down on an 1860s Atlanta map. She even placed her fictional buildings in the neighborhoods where you'd expect them. We were surprised no one had previously collected all this info on a map of Atlanta—so we created the detailed "period" map above.

House #1 is Rhett Butler's residence; # 2 is the Leyden House, and #3 is the Governor's mansion. There's lots more. To see the detail up close, zoom in on the map above. Better yet, to buy a print go here. (and you can always used the little "M" icon below to mail this page to your Gone With the Wind-obsesssed Aunt Myrtle. You know, the aunt who named her cat "Rhett.")

Tornado map's weird anomaly

2011-05-24T07:40:00.000-05:00

Of course, our prayers go out to the people of Joplin, Missouri and other cities after the devastating tornadoes of recent days. To get a better sense of whether you are in the line of fire of an F5 tornado, check out the very cool maps at the Tornado History Project. You can see the actual paths the worst tornadoes of the past decades—in a zoomable Google map. And here's the weird part: when you look at the map of F5 tornadoes, there is an odd void over Missouri. All the surrounding states have tons of F5s, but Missouri is like a blank spot... as if a forcefield is protecting it from the worst killer twisters. Until two days ago.

Denmark claims North Pole. Is Ecuador next?

2011-05-23T07:03:00.000-05:00

This past week Denmark admitted it's planning to stake a claim to the North Pole. That's because the pole has lots of oil and gas, and Denmark wants it. It's a pretty pathetic land grab, given Demark's distance from the pole. Yes, I know Denmark "owns" Greenland, but it's not like any Danes really spend any time on the frozen island. They just want the commodities they can exploit. Of course, the silliness in the region isn't limited to the Danes. The Russians also want the Pole, and in 2007 they sent a little submarine there to plant a tiny Russian flag underwater. No kidding. Canada, the US, and Norway also make tenuous claims to the region—what next? Will the Ecuadorians claim the pole is theirs? Makes about as much sense as Denmark.

Borders from 1967.... is that 1967 A.D. or B.C.?

2011-05-20T06:54:00.000-05:00

In his big speech, Pres. Obama forgot to tell us which 1967 borders he wanted for Palestine. Did he mean the borders from 1967 A.D..... or 1967 B.C.? Yesterday's speech was as big as it gets on this type of thing—as Obama proposed nationhood for Palestine. His talk was all about where the borders should be; and we love border-talk here at Lost States! That's why we were so dismayed that the president didn't get specific on the A.D. vs B.C. issue. Sure, the 1967 A.D. borders would mean a 2-state solution, but the Israelis don't much like that idea because the 1967 A.D. borders are difficult to defend. I'd guess the Israelis would like the 1967 B.C. borders even less, since the Canaanites would get most of the region. And one thing both sides can agree on: we don't want the Canaanites back. Given the Canaanites proclivity for child-sacrifice (and other stuff we can't even mention in a family-friendly blog) we can all be glad the Canaanites are gone from the earth.

California's first flag revealed

2011-05-19T06:42:00.000-05:00

What the heck was the animal on California's first flag? And who designed this monstrosity? Here's the backstory: In 1846, California was a part of Mexico, not the United States. Nonetheless, a lot of Americans were moving there and the newcomers didn’t much like the idea of Mexican rule. Things were getting tense.

Into the middle of this drama stepped America's top government official in the region—John Fremont. Passing through the Sacramento area in June 1846, Fremont decided it was time for America to take California—and he authorized an overthrow of the Mexican government. In reality, Mexico had very few resources in California, and the takeover required little more than knocking on the door of Mexican General Mariano Vallejo, and asking him to surrender. Vallejo was enthusiastic about the idea. He offered everyone a round of brandy--and asked the Americans if he could join them. Fremont responded by putting Vallejo in jail at Sutter’s Fort.

Conquerors like to raise flags, and Fremont and his associates were no exception (See above). The animal in the middle that resembles a pig--is actually a bear. Thus this victory came to be called the Bear Flag Revolt. The man who designed the flag was William Todd—the nephew of Abraham Lincoln. It's not clear how Todd got the job, since his artistic ability seems indistinguishable from that of a 2nd grader. Nonetheless, a bear remains on the California flag to this day.... although more-gifted artists have since re-imagined a bear that looks more, well... bear-like.

It's worth noting that the original Bear Flag was destroyed, but accurate sketches and other documentation were gathered to create our reproduction. You can see a bigger version of our flag here. (Updated. Thanks Judah!)

Backwards time (zone) travel

2011-05-18T07:58:00.000-05:00

There are a few spots in the US where time travels backwards—sort of. Let me explain. In most places, when you travel eastward from one time zone to another, it gets an hour later. That's just how time zones work. But there are a few odd spots where traveling eastward means setting your watch an hour earlier. And this has nothing to do with Daylight Savings Time. Instead, it results from the bizarre twists and turns of time zone boundaries. In the example above, Paulding, Michigan sits in a little notch in the Eastern Time Zone. So if you travel due east from Paulding, you enter the Central Time Zone—which is an hour earlier. Weird! There are several spots like this, many nicely documented by a site called 12 Mile Circle. What's the value of this tidbit of arcane knowledge? Well, it might help you win a bar bet or two. More importantly, it illustrates that time zone boundaries reflect a patchwork of local politics that don't always make a lot of sense in the big picture.

Earliest fireworks - solving the sunset problem

2011-05-17T06:45:00.000-05:00

(Updated. Thanks q) What place in America has the earliest sunset—local time? This is a really important question for the upcoming 4th of July; because an earlier sunset means earlier fireworks fun! Who can stay up for fireworks that start at 11:00pm? Zzzzz. As America ages (and gets tired earlier), we need to look for places with the earliest possible sunsets. But where in America does the sun set the earliest? (according to local time, that is)

This was a much harder question to answer than I originally expected. In Alaska and Hawaii, you just go to the easternmost point—easy. But in the rest of the nation, it's way more complicated. That's because the easternmost point of a time zone is not necessarily the place where the sun sets the earliest. Remember, in midsummer, the days are really long in the far north, and get gradually shorter as you move south. So you need an algorithm to figure this out. Or you can just check a lot of places—that's what I did. (Ironically, the best site to find sunset times for your Independence day pyrotechnics.... is run by the British.)

The winner is Sneads, Florida, with a 7:47 sunset on July 4th. However, if you live in the northeast and can't make it to Sneads, Quoddy Head State Park in ~~Hogwarts~~ Maine will have to suffice, with a 8:17 sunset. Folks in the mountain region will have to settle for Syracuse, Kansas with an 8:13 mark. Californians can do a little better by driving out to Parker Dam and a 7:53 sunset. Of course, I'm not a professional sunsetologist. If you have better information, please add your comments.

Canada's split: NY Times

2011-05-16T06:58:00.000-05:00

Most Canadians don't consider Vancouver to be a part of the "real" Canada—that's according to a recent New York Times article. The Times illustration goes like this: with the Vancouver Canucks as the only remaining Canadian team in the National Hockey League finals, you'd think all of Canada's citizens would be rooting for their countrymen to defeat the 3 American teams—right? Not so much. The Times says Canadians consider Vancouver "foreign." That may seem odd... then again, it is the only major city in Canada that never gets snow. And Vancouver is geographically closer to Russia than it is to Montreal. In fact, some parts of British Columbia are actually closer to Japan than to easternmost Canada. So if the prestigious New York Times suggests many Canadians want to kick Vancouver (and all of BC, I presume) out of Canada, well... that needs a map. Behold the new country of Canucka.

Samoan Time Warp

2011-05-13T12:23:00.000-05:00

It's like something out of the TV show "Lost." A madman on an island in the south Pacific has found a way to jump forward in time. It's true.... but maybe not quite that dramatic. The "madman" isn't really all that mad, just a little eccentric. And all he really wants to do is move the International Date Line. Wait, you can do that? Indeed you can. The leader of the nation of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, wants to switch to the west side of the Date Line, so his country will be in sync with Australia and New Zealand. Most Samoans think he's nuts. This is the same guy who declared that all Samoans had to switch from driving on the right side of roads to driving on the left. I'm not making this up. At least neighboring American Samoa is staying sane. No time zone switch proposed there. But if you travel from the Nation of Samoa to American Samoa--just a few miles apart--you will switch days every time. Hmmmm.... what if you took a really fast jet and flew in circles from one to the other over and over..... (Press reports here and here and here)

Saddest town in baseball

2011-05-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

Quiz question: What US city (in the lower 48) is furthest from a major league baseball team? The crack staff at Lost States spent way too much time figuring this out. It's Loring, Montana--nearly 900 miles to the nearest ballpark. So if major league baseball wants to correct this geographic shortcoming, it should start an expansion franchise in Loring. But what to call the team? What's Loring famous for? It's hard to know; even Google and Yahoo searches reveal nothing other than automated links like "nearest singles to Loring, Montana" or "nearest day spas to Loring, Montana." (I bet no one's ever clicked on that one!) Hmmm, maybe the team's name should reflect this search engine shortcoming—call the team the Loring Yahoos. Are you listening, Bud Selig? (5/26/11 UPDATE: We fend off claims that Turner, Montana is sadder than Loring.)

Baja Arizona map

2011-05-11T08:10:00.000-05:00

Reports on the proposed 51st state of Baja Arizona are heating up, but no one seems to have a clear, simple map of this idea. So I made one. There is a larger version at flickr that you're free to use in your blog, newspaper etc. Wire service Reuters has a mapless story today—as does The Atlantic. How can they have a story about a new state--and not have a map?! Sigh.

NPR reports on 51st state story

2011-05-09T17:56:00.001-05:00

The proposed 51st state of Baja, Arizona made the news on NPR today. Of course, we here at Lost States have been all over this movement for a while—with our first story months ago... a piece making the connection to the Gadsden purchase.... our genius idea for an extended state... and a report on the problem of naming the new state. And you can read about Baja Arizona (and see a cool map) in the book Lost States. Oh, here's the NPR story.

Mysterious island - an evil lair, or??

2011-05-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

Bouvet Island in 1898

No that Osama is gone, are there any evil masterminds left? Anyone who might be James Bond-worthy? In fiction, these arch-criminals plot world domination from a lair on some uncharted island. But that's all fiction, right? Consider this true story: At 00:53 GMT on Sept 22, 1979, the American Vela satellite detected the signature of a nuclear detonation on Bouvet Island, an uninhabited rock in the south Indian ocean. To this day, no one knows who was behind the explosion.

President Carter was so alarmed, he called his advisors to the situation room. They didn’t have any answers. Subsequent investigations suggest the explosive device may have been a neutron bomb, a tactical nuclear device that kills people, but leaves structures largely intact. Some investigators think the South African government was behind the detonation, others speculate it was Israel, France, or maybe Taiwan—but evidence for any of these options is scant.

Bouvet is the most remote island on earth. While Norway claims it, there are no known residents. In 1964, a passing ship found an abandoned lifeboat on the island, filled with supplies. No one knows how it got there. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a stretch to suggest the island is the secret base of of a real-life Dr. No. But one thing is for sure. Something very scary happened on Bouvet Island. And we don’t know who did it.

(More details, including a photo of the mystery boat, are here)

Splitting up Canada?

2011-05-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

The only places the separatists won a majority in Monday's election

The platform of the Bloc Québécois (BQ) party involves seceding from Canada to form the new nation of Quebec. How did they do in Monday's election? Not too good. But let's step back a moment... they had an election in Canada on Monday? Who knew? Yeah, Americans are blissfully unaware of this stuff. The only Canadian prime minister Americans can remember is Pierre Trudeau—and that's only because his beautiful wife Margaret was an iconic jet-setter, partying with the likes of Mick Jagger. Anyway, back to the election. The Bloc Québécois got pummeled, garnering just 6 percent of the vote. It's a long way from their heyday in the mid-90s, when Quebec came within a few thousand votes of splitting from Canada. (That story is detailed in Lost States)

Panetta: New York City should be 51st state

2011-05-05T07:57:00.000-05:00

Leon Panetta was a major proponent of statehood for New York City, according to a long-forgetten report he wrote for mayor John Lindsay. It's significant, since Panetta is about to be confirmed as the new Secretary of Defense—among the more powerful jobs on earth. As a staffer for mayor Lindsay in 1971, Panetta wrote that making New York City the 51st state, "... may well be the only sensible approach to governing New York City." Panetta's reasons fit the usual profile for new statehood proposals—he thought the rural legislators (read "bumpkins") were standing in the way of New York City handling its own affairs. The thing that struck me as I read the full report was how Panetta thought the best model for governing New York City was London. Yeah, London, England. Didn't we fight a war so we could avoid the British model of governing? In summary, the soon-to-be Secretary of Defense is on record saying the British system of governing is superior to the American system. You heard it here first. I wonder if that comes up at his hearings. Read Panetta's full report here. (More on New York City statehood is in Lost States)

Osama map hijinks

2011-05-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

So if you zoom in on Abbotabad in Google maps, you can see the closest restaurant to Osama's house... probably the place he called for takeout. It's the "Red Onion" (what you were expecting Olive Garden?). In the last day or so, "reviewers" have been having a lot of fun posting comments—like Chad who says: The foie gras is to die for, but the ambiance when I went was ruined by the constant noise of helicopters. Then there is the comment from Osama Bin Laden himself: Love that bloomin' onion appetizer but it goes straight to my thighs. Normally I'm against map defacing, but the comments are pretty funny. Read 'em all here.

How the States got their Shapes

2011-05-04T06:49:00.000-05:00

So you enjoyed the May 3rd premiere of the new History Channel series entitled How the States Got their Shapes hosted by Brian Unger. And now you want the full-color book (great for Father's Day!) that tells the strange and funny stories of American geography. You're in luck! Lost States is now 35 percent off at Amazon.

Congress says Hawaii's not a state--in 1993

2011-05-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I hate to give birthers a Plan B, but I've stumbled upon a conspiracy theory that is just too juicy to ignore. Specifically, Barack Obama can't be the legal president, because Hawaii is an independent kingdom, not a US state—a fact that the US Congress affirmed in 1993. Stay with me—let me connect the dots: In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the "Apology Resolution," a document that stated quite clearly that the United States illegally conspired to overthrow and take over the independent nation of Hawaii in 1893. The document says:
"The Congress: apologizes to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the people of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17, 1893... and the deprivation of the rights of Native Hawaiians to self-determination... and urges the President of the United States to also acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii."
Congress voted in favor of this and Bill Clinton signed it into law. Senator Slade Gorton (R-Washington) refused to vote for the measure, saying, "...the logical consequences of this resolution would be independence." Let's just assume Slade (what a great first name!) was correct. In that case, the US government gave Hawaii its independence in 1993, which means it's not a US state—which means Barack Obama can't be the president. OK, I admit it's a desperate, contorted stretch to make a conspiracy out of nothing—but that's why it's perfect fodder for the birthers.

Bin Laden's 2001 escape... the "X"s and "O"s

2011-05-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

Why did it take 10 years to get Osama Bin Laden? Think football. In December 2001, Bin Laden ran an end-around misdirection play, faking out his pursuers. At least that's how Guantanamo detainee Harun Shirzad al-Afghani tells the story in fresh Wiki-leaks documents. Remember, Bin Laden was pinned down behind the line of scrimmage in Tora Bora in late 2001. The American military called an all out blitz. But Bin Laden did a Favre-like escape. Most assumed he slipped south across the border into Pakistan. But since that's what everyone expected, Bin Laden apparently reversed field and fled north. Sure, the American military was caught flat-footed in that play... but kudos on the 4th quarter comeback yesterday, boys! The real America's Team gave 110% in a sudden death overtime. (Read about the 2001 escape here)

Do you pronounce "pin" and "pen" the same?

2011-04-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

If you pronounce pin and pen the same you are almost certainly from the south... or Bakersfield, CA. So many people seemed interested in yesterday's discussion of the Dawn/Don merger, that I thought it might be fun to look at another mappable pronunciation curiousity: pin/pen. Most Americans say these words differently. But in the south, they sound the exactly same. I noticed this phenomenon when visiting Pensacola, Florida—to my ear, people there count seven, eight, nine, tin. Yeah tin, like tin can. What's cool to me is how precisely this can be mapped. Indianapolis merges pin/pen but Cincinnati does not. Nearly all the south merges, but Savannah, Georgia does not. Mobile-yes. New Orleans-no. So for fun in the office, ask your friends to pronounce the objects below. Their answer will tell you where they grew up.

Say "Don." Say "Dawn." Now I know where you live.

2011-04-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

How we pronounce words can predict where we live—very precisely. Some of our pronunciation differences are fairly obvious, but most are not. Say, for example, the female name "Dawn" and the male name "Don." Being from Wisconsin, I pronounce these two names very differently. My wife, from Idaho, pronounces them exactly the same. Whether you pronounce Don/Dawn the same or differently depends largely on where you grew up on the map. (See above).

There are people who spend a career studying this stuff, which all seems very fascinating to me. The Dawn-Don difference comes from that the fact that certain Americans have 13 vowels... others lost one--they only have 12! So they use the same vowel for Don and Dawn. (same thing with "cot" and "caught.") There is a most-curious map that covers all this--made by a guy named Rick Aschmann. Rick's an incredibly impressive researcher.... but his map... well, it's hopelessly complex. Rick, you don't have to put everything you ever learned on one map! You can make 2 or 3... or 100. I took just one line from Rick's map—Cot/Caught—and mapped it (above). Hopefully it's a bit clearer. Rick's site also has nifty audio of people pronouncing these words. And NPR did a fun story about this recently here.

The ultimate royal wedding: USA and UK

2011-04-27T09:12:00.000-05:00

With so many Americans interested in the upcoming royal wedding, maybe it's time to re-propose another kind of marriage—the U.K. joining the U.S. Sure it sounds preposterous, but in 1947, at least one very powerful U.S. Senator was working hard to make this happen. His name was Richard Russell, Jr. of Georgia--and his plan was to add England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales as four new states. He may have been the only person on earth who thought this was a good idea. Normally, this kind of thing would be laughed off as the idea of a crackpot, but because it was proposed by a U.S. Senator, the media dutifully reported the plan.

Press reports from 1947 said the British received the idea “coldly.” How coldly? Think absolute zero. If you skipped high school chemistry, absolute zero is the coldest temperature known to exist. In theory, nothing in the universe can actually reach absolute zero—but I think maybe the British did in 1947.
Of course, they didn’t just launch into a tirade of expletives, because the British are much too sophisticated for such a coarse response. So rather than condemn Senator Russell, the plucky Brits simply pointed out that Georgia still owed money borrowed from the British during the Civil War. It was the perfect retort. Russell had assumed that America had the upper hand, because the United States had just bailed out Britain in WWII. He had forgotten that England had spent more that $200 million to help the South in the war between the states—money that was never repaid. Hmmm. Maybe this whole thing was backwards—perhaps Georgia should be added to the United Kingdom. All the 1947 shenanigans are detailed (with a nice map too) in Lost States.

Maybe it's time to resurrect this idea. If they were Americans, Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton might move to California or New York... or Cleveland—which is something Americans would fancy. Oh, wait... we'd also get Charles and Camilla. Nevermind. Forget the whole thing.

New movie: man wouldn't ask for directions, people died

2011-04-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

The next time your husband gets lost and won't ask for directions, don't be too hard on him. At least you aren't likely to die as a result. That's kind of the premise of a new movie based on a true story--one of the saddest tales of the Old West. In 1845, mountain man Stephen Meek convinced a westward-bound wagon train that he had discovered a nifty new shortcut to Oregon. They believed him

and followed Meek into the uncharted Oregon desert. Then Stephen Meek got hopelessly lost. Soon people began dying. Needless to say, the survivors were not too happy with him. It's a fascinating story, and the new movie based on this event is in theaters now. I was surprised that none of the movie PR included a map of the cutoff... so I made one (above)--overlaying Meek's route on the Park Service map. (You can zoom in on the map). For the full story of the Meek disaster, you can read more here.

NFL creates dumbest maps ever

2011-04-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

Please help me understand the point of a series of bizarre maps on the NFL web site. Hey, I'll find any excuse to like a map, but does anyone really need to see the weekly travel of each team? Look at the example above. Does that tell you anything useful? OK, I guess the map shows that, say, the Green Bay Packers are traveling to Kansas City... or is it Denver? I'm a map geek and I can't tell! Besides, wouldn't it be more useful to just type up, "Green Bay at Denver"? (Or is it Denver at Green Bay? I can't tell from this stupid map.) Wait, wait, I think I figured it out! If you squint just right at all the crosshatchy red lines, you will see the Chinese symbol that translates roughly, "season cancelled suckers." Feel free to investigate this series of pointless maps here.

Where did they get the lions?

2011-04-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Easter weekend is the perfect time to ask this question: Knowing they'd get likely eaten by lions, why didn't the early Christians abandon their religion... or at least hide from the Romans? After all, before Easter, Peter denied he even knew Jesus—so that he could avoid any trouble. You'd think that the prospect of getting your flesh ripped from your body by a hungry lion would be enough to get you to follow a more Roman-friendly god. And by their own admission, on Easter morning, the followers of Jesus were a bunch of scaredy-cats, hiding in a locked room. Next thing you know, they're willing lion-food. What gives?

They saw a dead guy come back to life. That'll pretty much do it. (A film I made details how this all went down. Here is a preview... and here's where you can view the whole thing online.) But for this blog, I thought it worthy to ask a geography-related question: Where did the Romans get all those lions?! They certainly can’t be found in the Italian countryside. And the Romans needed a lot of lions. As many as 600 would be released at a single event. The Roman bloodlust wasn’t satisfied by lions alone; they also imported tigers, hippos, giraffes and rhinos. To get a reliable supply these exotic species, the Romans needed a trade route to central Africa—and that meant they had to find a way to get these animals across the Sahara Desert. For the rest of this surprising story—and a much bigger and better map, go here.

Morgan Spurlock should look at a New Mexico map

2011-04-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Supersize Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is making news because he persuaded Altoona, Pennsylvania to change it's name. His new film is about product placement, so he figured it would be a hoot to get a city to rename itself after the the title of his new film. But I'm here to tell you Spurlock's gimmick is pretty lame. And it's been done... better. Here's why: Altoona is only changing it's name for 60 days. And it's not really changing its name. The city's police cars aren't being repainted with a new city name. And the Post Office isn't going to start stamping "return to sender" on mail addressed to Altoona. It's really not doing anything except sending out a press release.

To see how this is really done, Mr. Spurlock should read up in the town of Hot Springs, New Mexico. In 1950, residents of Hot Springs, were encouraged by a successful businessman to permanently rename their city after his product. The businessman was Ralph Edwards (photo above), and his product was the Truth or Consequences television show. The residents overwhelming approved this genius marketing scheme—and the city remains Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to this very day. Check your map. You can read more about Spurlock's copycat scheme here. And for more about Ralph Edwards strategy, well.... it's detailed in Lost States. (And note how cleverly I avoided actually mentioning the name of Spurlock's new film "POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold." Doh!)

Divide Libya - and return to the borders of antiquity

2011-04-20T09:33:00.000-05:00

Should Libya be partitioned into two (or three?) separate nations to solve the conflict there? Many major players in the conflict are suggesting just that. It's an idea that makes sense; in fact, what is now Libya is an artificial creation of the 20th century—a Frankenation that never should have been created in the first place.
The east and west (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) have always been divided by geography—the Gulf of Sirte separates the population centers of Tripoli in the west and Benghazi in the east. And the unique desert community of Fezzan has operated separately for thousands of years.
It was only the Europeans who thought these regions should be cobbled together into one. Blame the Italians, mostly. They colonized the region back when that was the thing to do. But they knew better than to pretend this was one unified people. In fact, it's really interesting to look at this big 1829 map of north Africa. Created by the French (also colonizers of north Africa) you can see that Europeans 200 years ago understood this was three nations, not one. (Really, it's a cool map)