Miss United States

The Miss United States pageant's mission is to "celebrate intelligent women of all walks of life.

The reigning Miss United States is Lindsey Langston, who was crowned on October 8, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.

[43] Several sources, including PBS and the History Channel, cite Thomas Edison as a judge of the 1880 Miss United States pageant.

[49] A 1937 Albuquerque newspaper names the 1937 Miss United States winner as Margaret Smith of Tennessee.

[50] One source says the pageant was put on hold during World War 1, and then re-established in 1937,[49] however, the Boston Globe published a 1929 article naming Irene Ahlberg as Miss United States 1929[51] and Universal Newsreel footage from 1931 shows Miss United States 1931, Ann Lee Patterson.

[30] Some of this confusion stems from the conflation of the original Miss Universe (International Pageant of Pulchritude) which also selected a 'Miss United States'[52] and the modern Miss Universe pageant which began in 1951 and where from 1951 to 1962, the U.S. representative was called 'Miss United States of America' before the title was renamed to 'Miss USA' in 1962.

[22] Patriotic festivals/parades also often had a young woman play "Miss United States" for the festivities, unrelated to a pageant or competition.

[citation needed] In December 2000 (one year after the expiration of the 'Miss United States' trademark), the film Miss Congeniality (which was centered around a 'Miss United States' pageant) was released grossing $212 million worldwide against its $45 million budget.