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Miss Atomic (pageants)

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Miss Atomic pageants are held in the United States, generally, in Nevada, to celebrate the City of Las Vegas's modernity.

The five "Miss Atomics"

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The pageants were "inspired by the cultural phenomena, Las Vegas decided to combine two of its major attractions—nuclear bombs and showgirls—into a beauty contest".[1] There were only four "showgirl-turned-beauty-queens" and "there was no single Miss Atomic Bomb beauty pageant, and most of the queens were simply showgirls chosen for their radiant ... looks".[2] "The queens came about in an only loosely related manner: atomic-themed, usually of the mushroom cloud variety, costumes."[2][3]

  • The first atomic pin-up girl, Candyce King, appeared on May 9, 1952, in the Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois) and the Day Record (Statesville, North Carolina) papers as "Miss Atomic Blast".[2][4]
  • In the spring of 1953, the city of North Las Vegas chose Paula Harris as Miss North Las Vegas of 1953 and gave her the nickname "Miss A-Bomb".[2][4]
  • In 1955, Operation Cue drew attention when it was delayed multiple times because of high winds and was nicknamed "Operation Mis-Cue." Linda Lawson was crowned "Miss Cue" on May 1, 1955. The title was "to illustrate another mis-firing of the Operation Cue Bomb." Lawson's "crown" was a mushroom cloud.[2][4][5][6]
  • The last and most famous was Lee Merlin, crowned as "Miss Atomic Bomb", coinciding with Operation Plumbbob, while wearing a cotton mushroom cloud on the front of her swimsuit. The popular photograph by Don English was distributed nationally. She is currently "Miss Atomic".[2][4][7] Don English of the Las Vegas Sun photographed her.[3][6]
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Several references to the Atomic pageants have appeared in various media over the years.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zimmerman, Jess (16 March 2013). "Odd Contests: Miss Atomic Bomb". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Wheeler, Anne (17 September 2013). "4 Atomic-Themed 1950s Beauty Queens". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Copa Room showgirl Lee Merlin". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d "Miss Atom Bomb" (PDF). DOE. August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  5. ^ Lotgering S. "Winner of 'Miss Atomic Bomb' Pageant". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Ian (15 January 2014). "A is for Miss Atomic Bomb". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb, 1957". 6 March 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  8. ^ O'Hanlon, Dom (2016-06-08). "Review of Miss Atomic Bomb at the St James Theatre". London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  9. ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre) | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  10. ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb review, St James Theatre, London, 2016". The Stage. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
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