Ieda Maria Vargas Miss Universe 1963

 

Iêda Maria Vargas (born Iêda Maria Britto Vargas, c. 1943), is a Brazilian who was crowned Miss Universe in Miami Beach, Florida in 1963. She was the first person from her country to win a major international beauty pageant. Vargas is a native of Rio Grande do Sul. During her term she opened the Capital Plaza Mall in Landover Hills, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

1st runner-up Aino Korwa DENMARK
2nd runner-up Marlene McKeown IRELAND
3rd runner-up Lalaine Benett PHILIPPINES
4th runner-up Kim Myung-Ja KOREA

SEMI-FINALISTS
Olga Galuzi ARGENTINA
Gertrude Bergner AUSTRIA
Maria Cristina Alvarez COLOMBIA
Riitta Anja Hellevi Kautainen FINLAND
Monique Lemaire FRANCE
Helga Karla Ziesemar GERMANY
Gianna Serra ITALY
Noriko Ando JAPAN
Ellen Liebenberg SOUTH AFRICA
Marite Ozers USA

Brazil wins the first of her two Miss Universe crowns with Ieda Maria Vargas. After finishing in the runner-up position, Miss Korea, Kim Myung-Ja nixes a movie career offer in Hollywood retorting, "I?m not interested in being a movie star. In Korea, we don?t think being a movie star is very good. We think they are bad girls." This year, Ieda wore a crown that most closely resembles the crown that graces our winners to date. Presently, Ieda is reported to be recovering from serious illness but is doing fine.

Selengkapnya...

Norma Nolan Miss Universe 1962

 

Norma Nolan (born Norma Beatriz Nolan, approx. 1943), is an Argentine who became, in 1962, the first woman from that country to obtain the Miss Universe title. She won the title in Miami Beach, Florida. Nolan is of Irish and Italian descent. She was born in Argentina.

1st runner-up Anna Geirsdottir ICELAND
2nd runner-up Anja Aulikki Jarvinen FINLAND
3rd runner-up Helen Liu REPUBLIC OF CHINA
4th runner-up Ma.Olivia Cavalcanti BRAZIL

SEMI-FINALISTS
Christa Linder AUSTRIA
Marilyn McFatridge CANADA
Olga Lucia Botero Orozco COLOMBIA
Kim Carlton ENGLAND
Evelyn Miot HAITI
Yehudit Mazor Rounik ISRAEL
Seo Bunjoo KOREA
Nouhad Cabbabe LEBANON
Leslie Margaret Nichols NEW ZEALAND
Macel Leilani Wilson USA

Argentina wins it's only Miss Universe title so far in the person of Norma Nolan and Miss Universe history is made as Evelyn Miot of Haiti becomes the first black semi-finalist.

Selengkapnya...

Marlene Schmidt Miss Universe 1961

 

Professional Engineer Marlene Schmidt (born 1937 in Breslau, Germany, now known as Wroclaw, Poland) came to fame as winner of the 1961 Miss Universe pageant. Later she had a career in the movie industry.

1st runner-up Rosemarie Frankland WALES
2nd runner-up Adriana Gardiazabal ARGENTINA
3rd runner-up Arlette Dobson AUSTRIA
4th runner-up Sharon Renee Brown USA

SEMI-FINALISTS
Maria Gloria Silva CHILE
Simone Darot FRANCE
Kristjana Magnusdottir ICELAND
Atida Pisanti ISRAEL
Seo Yang-hee KOREA
Carmela Stein Bedoya PERU
Wang Li-Ling TAIWAN (R.O.C.)
Susan Jones SCOTLAND
Gunilla Knutsson SWEDEN
Liliane Burnier SWITZERLAND

After placing consistently in the semi-finals and finals since 1952, Germany finally ran away with the Miss Universe title. The closest they got before this was in 1956 with Marina Orschel who was first runner-up to Carol Morris of the USA. Germany had no comment over the news that their delegate, Marlene Schmidt, had won the coveted Miss Universe crown. Rosemarie Frankland of Wales, Marlene's runner-up, goes on to win Miss World 1961.

Selengkapnya...

Linda Bement Miss Universe 1960

 

Linda Jeanne Bement (born c. 1942), is a beauty pageant titleholder from the United States who became the third Miss USA to be crowned Miss Universe

 

1st runner-up Daniela Bianchi ITALY
2nd runner-up Elizabeth Hodacs AUSTRIA
3rd runner-up Nicolette Caras S. AFRICA
4th runner-up Ma.Teresa del Rio SPAIN

SEMI-FINALISTS
Jean MacPherson BRAZIL
Maria Stella Marquez COLOMBIA
Joan Ellinor Boardman ENGLAND
Ingrun Helgard Moeckel GERMANY
Magda Passaloglou GREECE
Aliza Gur ISRAEL
Yayoi Furuno JAPAN
Sohn Miheeja KOREA
Ragnhild Aass NORWAY
Elaine Maurath SWITZERLAND

The third American in 9 years to win Miss Universe came from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ma. Stella Marquez of Colombia, a semi-finalist, went on to win the first Miss International title later that year, then known as the International Beauty Congress, after Miss Universe and Long Beach split after 8 years. The Miss Universe contest is moved to Miami Beach. This is the first year that the pageant is telecast live on television and the Miss Universe creed was read for the first time.

Selengkapnya...

Akiko Kojima Miss Universe 1959

 

Akiko Kojima (児島 明子 Kojima Akiko?) (October 29, 1936 in Tokyo) is a Japanese model and the first Miss Universe to originate from Asia.

1st runner-up Jorunn Kristiansen NORWAY

2nd runner-up Terry Lynn Hungtington USA
3rd runner-up Pamela Anne Searle
ENGLAND
4th runner-up Vera Ribeiro BRAZIL

SEMI-FINALISTS
Hélène Savigny BELGIUM
Olga Pumarejo Korkor COLOMBIA
Françoise Saint-Laurent FRANCE
Carmela Künzel GERMANY
Zoidsa Kouroukli GREECE
Sigridur Thorvaldsdottir ICELAND
Rina Issacov ISRAEL
Oh Hyun-joo KOREA
Zuzanna Cembrowska POLAND
Marie-Louise Ekstrom SWEDEN

The first Miss Universe to originate from the Asiat, Akiko was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan when she bested four other finalists from Norway, the USA, England, and Brazil for the 1959 Miss Universe crown in Long Beach, California. At 5'7", Akiko measured 37-23-38 inches, which many believed as "incredible dimensions" for an Asian. She denied having undergone breast surgery. Akiko settled into a quiet married life after her reign.

Selengkapnya...

Luz Marina Zuluaga Miss Universe 1958

 
Luz Marina Zuluaga (born October 31, 1938) is a Colombian beauty pageant winner and Miss Universe 1958. She is the only Colombian in history to hold the Miss Universe title.

 

1st runner-up Adalgisa Colombo BRAZIL
2nd runner-up Geri Hoo HAWAII
3rd runner-up Eurlyne Howell USA
4th runner-up Alicja Bobrowska POLAND

SEMI-FINALISTS
Raquela Molina Urrutia CHILE
Evy Norlund DENMARK
Marlies Jung Behrens GERMANY
Marily Kalimopoulou GREECE
Corine Rottschafer HOLLAND
Miriam Hadar ISRAEL
Tomoko Moritake JAPAN
Beatriz Boluarte PERU
Gertrud Gummels SURINAME
Birgitta Elisabet Gardman SWEDEN

When Luz Marina Zuluaga won Colombia's first (and only) Miss Universe title in 1958, the entire nation rejoiced and Zuluaga came home a national hero. Postage stamps were issued in her honor, she was given a mansion and was declared tax-exempt for life. Corinne Rottschafer of Holland, a semi-finalist, went on to win the Miss World title a year later.

Selengkapnya...

Gladys Zender Miss Universe 1957

 

Gladys Rosa Zender de Meier (née Zender Urbina; born October 19, 1939) is a beauty queen from Peru who became the first Latin American woman to win the Miss Universe title.

 

1st runner-up Terezinha Morango BRAZIL
2nd runner-up Sonia Hamilton ENGLAND
3rd runner-up Ma. Rosa Gamio CUBA
4th runner-up Gerti Daub GERMANY

SEMI-FINALISTS
Martha Lehmann ALASKA
Hannerl Melcher AUSTRIA
Gloria Noakes CANADA
Ligia Karavia GREECE
Valeria Fabrizzi ITALY
Kyoko Otani JAPAN
Jacqueline Doreilla Bonilla MOROCCO
Inger Jonsson SWEDEN
Gabriela Pascal URUGUAY
Leona Gage USA (disqualified)
Monica Lamas ARGENTINA (enters the semi-finals after Miss USA is dusqualified)

Miss USA 1957, Leona Gage qualified for the semi-finals of Miss Universe 1957. But, it was discovered that she was married and had two children. She was stripped of her crown and Charlotte Sheffield was awarded the title. She did not make the semi-finals. Argentina, Monica Lamas, who was 16th in the preliminary judging took the last semi-finals slot vacated by Gage.

Selengkapnya...

Carol Morris Miss Universe 1956

 
Carol Ann Laverne Morris (born 1936), Miss Iowa USA, was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956.

1st runner-up Marina Orschel GERMANY
2nd runner-up Ingrid Goude SWEDEN
3rd runner-up Iris Waller ENGLAND
4th runner-up Rosanna Galli ITALY

SEMI-FINALISTS
Ileana Carre ARGENTINA
Lucienne Auquier BELGIUM
Maria Jose Cardoso BRAZIL
Marcia Rodriguez CUBA
Anita Treyens FRANCE
Rita Gouma GREECE
Sara Tal ISRAEL
Erna Marta Bauman MEXICO
Lola Sabogal Morzan PERU
Blanquita Heredia Osio VENEZUELA

Carol is the second American in only 5 years in the history of the Miss Universe pageant to win the title. She hails from Ottumwa, Iowa. She has made several films in Hollywood. Presently, she travels around the world and is a dance instructor. She is the proud mother of 4 and grandmother of 3.

Selengkapnya...

Hillevi Rombin Miss Universe 1955

 

 
Hillevi Schine, (née Rombin) (September 14, 1933 – June 19, 1996), crowned as Miss Sweden and is the fourth winner of Miss Universe in 1955. From 1996 to 2011, she was the First deceased Miss Universe title holder since the pageant's inception.

1st runner-up Maribel Arrieta EL SALVADOR
2nd runner-up Maureen Hingert CEYLON
3rd runner-up Margut Nunke GERMANY
4th runner-up Keiko Takahashi JAPAN

SEMI-FINALISTS
Hilda Isabel Sarli Gorrindo ARGENTINA
Nicole De Mayer BELGIUM
Emilia Barreto Correa Lima BRAZILl
Cathy Diggles CANADA
Margaret Rowe ENGLAND
Maria del Rosario Molina Chacon GUATEMALA
Pastera Pagan Valenzuela HONDURAS
Solveig Borstad NORWAY
Carlene King Johnson USA
Carmen Susana Duijm Zubillaga VENEZUELA

The second Scandinavian delegate to win the title, Hillevi was a very athletic individual. After her reign as Miss Universe, she went on with a movie career in Hollywood and eventually married a movie produced. Unfortunately, she met a tragic death along with her second husband, former US Senator David Schine and her eldest son when their private plane crashed in Los Angeles in 1996. Venezuela's Carmen Zubillaga, a semi-finalist, went on to win the Miss World 1955 crown later on in the year.

Selengkapnya...

Miriam Stevenson Miss Universe 1954

 


Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson born 4 July 1933, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, won the Miss USA pageant as Miss South Carolina USA in 1954. She was the first Miss USA to hold the Miss Universe beauty crown.

1st runner-up Martha Ma. Rocha BRAZIL

2nd runner-up Virginia June Lee HONG KONG
3rd runner-up Regina Ernst GERMANY

4th runner-up Ragnhild Olafsson SWEDEN

 

SEMI-FINALISTS
Ivana Olga Kislinger ARGENTINA
Gloria Legisos CHILE
Marian Esquivel McKeown COSTA RICA
Jacqueline Beer FRANCE
Rika Dialina GREECE
Maria Teresa Paliani ITALY
Mona Stornes NORWAY
Liliana Torre PANAMA
Isabella Leon Velarde Dancuart PERU
Blesilda Ocampo PHILIPPINES
Ana Moreno URUGUAY

The first of 7 Americans to win the Miss Universe crown hails from Winnsboro, South Carolina. She bested 34 other delegates and survived a triple tie breaker with runner-up Martha Rocha of Brazil. One of the judges disclosed that it was Miss Brazil's "bulging hips" which cost her the crown although her face was said to have been "the most gorgeous in the contest". Still residing in Columbia, South Carolina, the ever popular Miriam remains on the go with her various activities as real estate agent and a fashion, bridal, and wedding consultant. She is married to Donald Upton and together they have two sons.

Selengkapnya...

Christiane Martel Miss Universe 1953

 

Christiane Martel, born Christiane Magnani in Paris, France, won the 1953 Miss Universe pageant representing France. However, she was not a titleholder from the "official" Miss France pageant.

1st runner-up Myrna Hansen USA
2nd runner-up Kinuko Ito JAPAN
3rd runner-up Anne Bertha Lopez MEXICO
4th runner-up Maxine Morgan AUSTRALIA

SEMI-FINALISTS
Lore Felger AUSTRIA
Thelma Elizabeth Brewis CANADA
Jytte Olsen DENMARK
Christal Schaack GERMANY
Rita Stazzi ITALY
Synnoeve Gulbrandsen NORWAY
Emita Arosemena Zubieta PANAMA
Mary Ann Sarmiento PERU
Ingrid Rita Mills SOUTH AFRICA
Ayten Akyol TURKEY
Ada Alicia Ibáñez Amengual URUGUAY

Twenty six delegates participated in the Miss Universe 1953 pageant won by Miss France, Christiane Martel.. After her reign, Christiane went on to become a popular film actress in her native France as well as in the USA and Mexico. She later married Miguel Aleman, Jr., the son of a former Mexican president. She presently resides in Mexico and is a very popular social figure and is the first lady of the state of Veracruz.

Selengkapnya...

Armi Kuusela Miss Universe 1952

 
Armi Helena Kuusela (born August 20, 1934 in Muhos) is a Finnish beauty queen. On May 24, 1952 she won the national beauty contest Suomen Neito and was presented with a trip to the United States to participate in the first-ever Miss Universe pageant, becoming its first titleholder in history.

Fifty-four years ago today, a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Finland was crowned (by Hollywood actress Piper Laurie) the first Miss Universe at a glittering ceremony at The Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, with a court of honor composed of Hawaii’s Elza Kananionapua Edsman (first runner-up), Greece’s Daisy Mavraki (second runner-up), Hong Kong’s Judy Dan (third runner-up) and Germany’s Renate Hoy (fourth runner-up).

1st runner-up Elza Kananionapua HAWAII
2nd runner-up Daisy Mavrali GREECE
3rd runner-up Judy Dan HONG KONG
4th runner-up Renate Roy GERMANY
SEMI FINALISTS:
Olga Llorens Perez Castillo MEXICO

Catherine Edwina Higgins SOUTH AFRICA
Anne Marie Tistler SWEDEN
Gladys Rubio URUGUAY
Jackie Loughery USA

Twenty-nine contestants participated in the first Miss Universe pageant in 1952 held in Long Beach, California.. Though only 18 years old, Armi still captured the Universe.. The pageant, even at its onset was not without controversy as many accused favoritism as the 1952 Olympic Games were held in Helsinki, Finland that same year. A year after her reign, Armi married Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario and brought up a family of 5 children. She remarried upon Hilario's death in 1977 and has moved to La Jolla, California. She is still active in her community as she involves herself in Cancer research.

Selengkapnya...