Miss Universe 1956, the fifth beauty pageant of the Miss Universe franchise, was held on 20 July 1956 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California. There were thirty contestants on stage. The nineteen-year-old Carol Morris was the second American representative (styled as "Miss USA") to win the contest. As was normal for the event, she was crowned by her immediate predecessor, Hillevi Rombin of Sweden.