Miss Universe 1959

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Miss Universe 1959
Akiko Kojima (1959).jpg
Akiko Kojima
Date24 July 1959 (1959-07-24)
Presenters Byron Palmer
Venue Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Broadcaster CBS
Entrants34
Placements15
Debuts
  • Bolivia
  • Burma
  • Luxembourg
Withdrawals
  • Alaska
  • Australia
  • British Guiana
  • Chile
  • Paraguay
  • Singapore
  • Suriname
  • Venezuela
  • West Indies
Returns
  • Austria
  • Costa Rica
  • Iceland
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
Winner Akiko Kojima
Japa
Congeniality Sodsai Vanijvadhana (Thailand)
PhotogenicPamela Anne Searle (England)
  1958
1960  

Miss Universe 1959 was the eighth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 24 July 1959. This was the last year that the pageant was held in Long Beach before it moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960.

Contents

At the end of the event, Luz Marina Zuluaga of Colombia crowned Akiko Kojima of Japan as Miss Universe 1959. [1] Kojima was the first representative of Japan, and the first Asian woman to win the contest. [2]

Contestants from thirty-four countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Byron Palmer.

Background

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1959 LBarena.jpg
Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1959

Selection of participants

Contestants from thirty-four countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant.

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition saw the debuts of Bolivia, Burma, and Luxembourg, and the returns of Austria, Iceland, Thailand, and Turkey. Thailand last competed in 1954, while Austria, Iceland, and Turkey last competed in 1957. Alaska, Australia, British Guiana, Chile, Paraguay, Singapore, Suriname, Venezuela, and the West Indies withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate. [3]

Christine Matias of the Philippines was set to compete at Miss Universe, but was barred by her university, the Philippine Women's University, as they do not allow their students to wear a swimsuit in front of the public. [4] [5] Aida Kadamani was supposed to represent the United Arab Republic at Miss Universe, but withdrew after refusing to wear a swimsuit in front of the judges. [6] She was then replaced by Nawal Ramli, but she also did not push through with the competition as the pageant organizers failed to answer her queries whether she could substitute Kadamani. [6] Indonesia was supposed to compete for the first time, but was not able to send a candidate due to protests in Jakarta against the creation of Miss Indonesia. [7] Other countries who would not sanction their people to appear in swimsuits according to Oscar Reinhardt, then-executive producer of Miss Universe Inc., include Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. [5] Spain and Portugal would send their first representatives in the following year.

Results

Miss Universe 1959 participating countries and territories Miss Universe 1959 Map.PNG
Miss Universe 1959 participating countries and territories

Placements

PlacementContestant
Miss Universe 1959
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 15

Special awards

AwardContestant
Miss Friendship
Miss Photogenic
Miss Popular Girl

Pageant

Format

Same with 1955, fifteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the fifteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the fifteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen. [11]

Selection committee

Contestants

Thirty-four contestants competed for the title. [13]

Country/TerritoryContestantAge [lower-alpha 1] Hometown
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Liana Cortijo [14] 20 Buenos Aires
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Christine Spatzier19 Vienna
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Hélène Savigny [15] 24 Brussels
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia Corina Taborga [16] 19 La Paz
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil Vera Regina Ribeiro [17] 19 Rio de Janeiro
Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg  Burma Than Than Aye [18] 19 Rangoon
Canadian Red Ensign (1957-1965).svg  Canada Eileen Butter [19] 25 Ancaster
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia Olga Pumarejo [20] 20 Barranquilla
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica Zianne Monturiol [21] 20 Heredia
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba Irma Buesa Mas [22] 19 Havana
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Lisa Stolberg [23] 18 Copenhagen
Flag of Ecuador (1900-2009).svg  Ecuador Carlota Elena Ayala19 Guayaquil
Flag of England.svg  England Pamela Anne Searle21 Surrey
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg  France Françoise Saint-Laurent18 Neuilly-Plaisance
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany Carmela Künzel [24] 19 Berlin
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg  Greece Zoitsa Kouroukli [25] 18 Athens
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala Rogelia Cruz [26] 18 Guatemala City
Flag of Hawaii.svg Hawaii Patricia Visser [27] 21 Honolulu
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Holland Peggy Erwich [28] 22 Rotterdam
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir [29] 18 Reykjavík
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Rina Issacov [30] 19 Tel Aviv
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Maria Grazia Buccella [31] 18 Trento
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan Akiko Kojima [32] 22 Tokyo
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Josée Pundel [33] 19 Grevenmacher
Flag of Mexico (1934-1968).svg  Mexico Mirna García Dávila18 Mexico City
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Jorunn Kristjansen [23] 18 Moss
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru Guadalupe Mariátegui Hawkins [34] 18 Callao
Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg  Poland Zuzanna Cembrzowska [35] 19 Warsaw
Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea Oh Hyun-joo [36] 19 Seoul
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Marie Louise Ekström [37] 20 Sundsvall
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Sodsai Vanijvadhana [38] 22 Bangkok
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Ecel Olcay [15] 19 Istanbul
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg  United States Terry Lynn Huntingdon [39] 19 Mount Shasta
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay Claudia Bernat [40] 20 Montevideo

Notes

  1. Ages at the time of the pageant

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References

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