Miss America Then and Now

A look back at more than 80 years of the Miss America Competition
Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Bathing Beauty
Norma Smallwood won the 1926 competition. Cherokee by heritage, she was the first Native American to win the pageant. During the year in which she held the title she earned over $100,000 through appearances and endorsements, an income higher than the President of the United States.

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