This is a Black Bear, even though it is brown in color. I took this shot in Sequoia National Park.

Smokey the Bear was a real Black Bear cub that was injured in a forest fire. Winnipeg the Black Bear was the mascot for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade in World War 1, and wound up living in the London Zoo, where she inspired the story of Winnie the Pooh. The third famous Black Bear was a bear that President 
Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot. It had been chased down by dogs and then tied to a tree for him to "hunt", but he refused. That story inspired the Teddy Bear toy. There are probably other famous Black Bears too.