[MUSIC] JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: Bears have found their way into our culture, our bedrooms, even into the sky.
Let's name some famous bears.
Smoky bear, not Smokey the Bear, was a real bear that was rescued from a wildfire.
He was treated and sent to the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.
In 1944, the Forest Service decided Smokey Bear would make a great symbol to teach people about the dangers of wildfires.
The Teddy Bear that we all know and love was named after President Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was out hunting and refused to shoot a bear that had been tied to a tree.
Now Teddy Bears are the most often purchased of any plush animal.
Winnie the Pooh was named after a real bear called Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.
And look to the sky for our last famous bear: the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the great "she-bear" and her cub.
Ursa Major is the third-largest constellation in the night sky.
You might know it better as the big dipper!
For more information about bears, check out the Science Trek website.
You'll find it at ScienceTrek.org.