The Miss America pageant started in 1921 to attract business to Atlantic City. Margaret Gorman was the first winner. It was suspended during the Great Depression and had its first African American winner in 1984.
The Miss America pageant began in 1921 as a way for Atlantic City businessmen to attract business after the summer. Swimsuit-clad contestants paraded down the beach in Atlantic City, and Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old from Washington, DC, became the first woman to be named Miss America. The contest began drawing crowds of over 16 and in 100,000 was televised for the first time in the United States.
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The Miss America pageant was suspended from 1929 to 1932 due to the Great Depression and public scandals involving the marital status and stateside of some contestants.
No African American women entered the Miss America pageant until the 1940s. The first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, won her title in 1984.
Bess Myerson, who was named Miss America in 1945, later became New York City’s first consumer affairs commissioner.
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