1921    16-year-old Margaret Gorman wins the Atlantic City Pageant's Golden Mermaid trophy; pageant officials later dubbed her the first Miss America.

1983    Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America.

1984    Officials of the Miss America pageant ask Vanessa Lynn Williams to quit after ''Penthouse'' publishes nude photos of her.

1984    Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in ''Penthouse'' magazine.