NMCentennialBlueBook

valor, including Air Medals (71), Silver Stars (51), Bronze Stars (47), and the distinguished
Flying Cross (34).
New Mexican Bill Mauldin wins Pulitzer Prize for his World War II cartoons and reporting.
"Z" Division, located at Kirtland Field and part of the Manhattan Project, becomes known as Sandia
Base.
About 100 German rocket engineers, scientists and V-2 rocket parts arrive at Fort Bliss, the
beginning of US Army rocket programs at White Sands Missile Range.
**Former Governor George Curry appointed as State Historian.
**John Dempsey (D) is re-elected governor.
**First atom bomb exploded at the Trinity Site. White Sands Proving Grounds are established.
1946
Georgia Lusk becomes first New Mexico woman to be elected to U.S. Congress.
**1947
Thomas Mabry (R) is elected governor for two-year term.
Roswell unidentified flying object ("UFO") incident occurs, debris found on July 8 on Foster Ranch
near Corona attributed later by authorities to a secret weather balloon program..
Ruth Hall, amateur paleontologist and wife of Ghost Ranch Director, discovers dinosaur fossils at
Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico.
A virtual graveyard of 205 million year old dinosaurs is discovered during an excavation activity
at Ghost Ranch by Dr. Edwin Colbert and crew member, George Wittaker. Coelophysis is the
only one of its kind to be found in this area and in 1981 was named the official state fossil. It is
theorized that they were all buried in a flood in the area. Ghost Ranch Museum near Abiquiqu
provides the information about this discovery.
*1948
Native Americans are given the right to vote in three states as well as in national elections because
of the activism of Miguel Trujillo, a World War II veteran of Isleta Pueblo.
KOB-TV becomes the first television station between the Mississippi and the West Coast.
**1949
Georgia O'Keeffe moves to Abiquiu.
Thomas Mabry is re-elected governor.
Clinton P. Anderson (D) becomes one of our U.S. Senators and serves until Jan. 1973.
The Chaparral Bird (Roadrunner) is named the New Mexico State Bird.
A V-2 WAC-Corporal fired at White Sands, New Mexico becomes the 1st rocket into outer space
and reaches 400 km.
Los Alamos County is established.
**1950
State population 681,187.
Uranium is discovered near Grants by Paddy Martinez.
In May, a badly burned bear cub, later named Smokey, is rescued from a fire in the Capitán
Mountains in the Lincoln National Forest, and is taken to the Washington National Zoo to
become the real life mascot of the Forest Service's fire prevention program.
Hot Springs, NM changes its name to Truth or Consequences after television game show host
Ralph Edwards sponsors a national contest offering incentives to any community that would take
the name of his program.
**1951
Edwin L. Mechem (R) is elected governor for two-year term.
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