Fascinating stories about thirty-three events that helped make New Mexico what it is today. Read about Pancho Villa, Charles Bent, Smokey the Bear, and many more, including little-known episodes that shaped New Mexico's colorful history.

True Tales from New Mexico's PastFrom the life and times of Folsom Man (9,000 BC) to the Great Prison Riot of Santa Fe County (1980 AD), It Happened in New Mexico tells the stories of intriguing people and events from the history of one of America's most captivating states. Find out how Pancho Villa's deadly raid on Columbus in March 1916 led to a $130 million--unsuccessful--mission to hunt down America's arch enemy. Go back to July 16, 1945, when a busload of spectators pulled up to a scenic overlook to witness the explosion of the world's first atomic bomb. Find out how Smokey the Bear began life as an imaginary symbol and ended up as the nation's most beloved cub. Did the U.S. Army steal Doc Noss's gold? Join the military cavalcade to Victorio Peak in 1977 and decide for yourself.