There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America

A Washington Post style editor’s fascinating and irresistible look back on the Miss America pageant—unveiling the hidden world of this iconic institution.

The sash. The tears. The glittering crown. And of course, that soaring song. For all its pomp and kitsch, the Miss America pageant is indelibly written into the American story of the past century. From its giddy origins as a summer’s-end tourist draw in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, it blossomed into a televised extravaganza that drew te...