Humanities › History & Culture Famous Inventors From New Mexico The most famous inventors from the state of New Mexico Print Robert Alexander / Contributor / Getty Images History & Culture Inventions Famous Inventors Famous Inventions Patents & Trademarks Invention Timelines Computers & The Internet American History African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Genealogy Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More By Mary Bellis Mary Bellis Inventions Expert Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years. She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Alexander Graham Bell. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on October 02, 2019 A few famous inventors have hailed from New Mexico. William Hanna William Hanna (1910 - 2001) was one-half of Hanna-Barbara, the animation studio behind such famous cartoons as Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones. In addition to co-founding the studio and being the creative force behind many of its most famous cartoons, Hanna and Barbara were also responsible for creating Tom and Jerry early in their careers. Read More Top List of Mexican Inventors By Mary Bellis Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico, though his family moved several times throughout his childhood. Edward Uhler Condon Edward Uhler Condon (1902 – 1974) was a nuclear physicist and a pioneer in quantum mechanics. He was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and while he attended high school and college in California, he returned to the state for a brief tenure with the Manhattan Project during World War II. As research director for Westinghouse Electric, he oversaw and conducted research that was instrumental to the development of both radar and nuclear weapons. He later became National Bureau of Standards, where he became a target for the House Un-American Activities Committee; however, he was famously defended against these allegations by such figures as Harry Truman and Albert Einstein. Jeff Bezos Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on January 12, 1964. He's best known as the founder, chairman and CEO of Amazon.com, making him one of the pioneers of e-commerce. He also founded Blue Origin, a private spaceflight company. Smokey Bear While not an inventor in the traditional sense, the living symbol of Smokey Bear was a native of New Mexico. The bear cub was rescued from a 1950 wildfire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico and nicknamed "Hotfoot Teddy" due to the injuries he sustained during the fire, but renamed Smokey, after the fire prevention mascot mascot who had been created a few years prior. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Bellis, Mary. "Famous Inventors From New Mexico." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/famous-inventors-from-new-mexico-1991185. Bellis, Mary. (2021, July 31). Famous Inventors From New Mexico. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-inventors-from-new-mexico-1991185 Bellis, Mary. "Famous Inventors From New Mexico." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-inventors-from-new-mexico-1991185 (accessed April 18, 2024). copy citation