Miss Universe 1960

Miss Universe 1960
Linda Bement
Date	7 July 1960 (1960-07-07)
Presenters	Charles Collingwood
Venue	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Broadcaster	CBS
Entrants	43
Placements	15
Debuts	Jordan Portugal Spain Tunisia
Withdrawals	Guatemala Hawaii Mexico Poland Thailand Turkey
Returns	Chile Finland Hong Kong Lebanon Morocco New Zealand Paraguay South Africa Suriname Switzerland Venezuela
Winner	Linda Bement United States
Congeniality	Myint Myint May (Burma)
Photogenic	Daniela Bianchi (Italy)
←  1959 1961  →

Miss Universe 1960 was the ninth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, the United States on 9 July 1960.

At the end of the event, Akiko Kojima of Japan crowned Linda Bement of the United States as Miss Universe 1960. ^[1] Bement was the third representative of the United States to win the contest.

Contestants from forty-three countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Charles Collingwood.

Background

Selection of participants

Contestants from forty-three countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two contestants were appointees to their national titles and another was selected after another national pageant was held to replace the original dethroned winner. ^[a]

Replacements

Sonja Menzel was originally set to represent Denmark but withdrew for undisclosed reasons, ^[3] and was replaced by Lizzie Hess. ^[4]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition saw the debuts of Jordan, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia, and the returns of Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, South Africa, Suriname, Switzerland, and Venezuela. South Africa and Switzerland, which last competed in 1953, Hong Kong and New Zealand in 1954, Finland and Lebanon in 1955, Morocco in 1957, while the others last competed in 1958. ^[5]

Hawaii withdrew after becoming a U.S. state on 21 August 1959, resulting in the Miss Hawaii Universe pageant being downgraded from a national Miss Universe qualifier to a Miss USA state pageant. ^[6]

Lorena Velázquez of Mexico withdrew for personal reasons. ^[7] Marzena Malinowska of Poland withdrew to compete in another international pageant. ^{[8] [9]} Miss Turkey 1959, Figen Özgür, was replaced by Miss Turkey 1960, Nebahat Çehre, who also withdrew and later competed at Miss World 1960 instead. ^{[10] [11]} Guatemala, and Thailand withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Julienne Ayissi Eyenga Fouda of Cameroon was disqualified for being underage and replaced by Sale Assouen, who subsequently withdrew for undisclosed reasons. ^[12] Cluadinette Fouchard of Haiti withdrew due to marriage plans. ^[13] Madagascar and Martinique intended to participate but did not appear. ^[14]

Results

Contestants from Venezuela, Japan, Ecuador and Brazil during the swimsuit parade.

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss Universe 1960	United States – Linda Bement [1]
1st Runner-Up	Italy – Daniela Bianchi [1]
2nd Runner-Up	Austria – Elizabeth Hodacs [1]
3rd Runner-Up	South Africa – Nicolette Caras [1]
4th Runner-Up	Spain – Teresa del Río [1]
Top 15 [15]	Brazil – Gina MacPherson  Colombia – Stella Márquez  England – Joan Boardman Greece – Magda Passaloglou  Israel – Aliza Gur  Japan – Yayoi Furuno  Norway – Ragnhild Aass  South Korea – Miheeja Sohn   Switzerland – Eliane Maurath  West Germany – Ingrun Möckel

Special awards

Award	Contestant
Miss Amity	Burma – Myint Myint May [16]  Louisiana – Judy Fletcher [16]
Miss Photogenic	Italy – Daniela Bianchi [17]

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. ^{[15] [18]}

Selection committee

• Maxwell Arnow – American film producer ^[19]
• Fernando Botero – Colombian painter and sculptor ^[19]
• Jane Fisher – Wife of American businessman and philanthropist, Max Fisher ^[19]
• Irwin Hasen – American cartoonist ^[19]
• Dr. M.M. Hollander – American physician and cosmetic specialist ^[19]
• Russell Patterson – American cartoonist ^[19]
• Vuk Vuchinich – Yugoslavian-American painter and sculptor ^[19]
• Miyoko Yanagita – Japanese fashion designer ^[19]
• Roger Zeiler – An official from the Miss Europe Organization ^[19]

Contestants

Forty-three contestants competed for the title.

Country/Territory	Contestant	Age [b]	Hometown
Argentina	Rose Marie Lincke [20]	22	Buenos Aires
Austria	Elizabeth Hodacs [21]	18	Vienna
Belgium	Huberte Box [22]	19	Brussels
Bolivia	Nancy Aguirre [23]	19	La Paz
Brazil	Gina MacPherson [24]	19	Guanabara
Burma	Myint Myint May [25]	18	Rangoon
Canada	Edna McVicar [26]	19	Galt
Chile	Marinka Polhammer [27]	19	Santiago
Colombia	Stella Márquez [28]	21	Pasto
Costa Rica	Leila Rodríguez [29]	18	San José
Cuba	Flora Lauten [30]	18	Havana
Denmark	Lizzie Hess [4]	20	Copenhagen
Ecuador	Isabel Rolando [31]	21	Quito
England	Joan Boardman [32]	22	Wallasey
Finland	Maija-Leena Manninen [33]	21	Helsinki
France	Florence Eyrie [34]	21	Paris
Greece	Magda Passaloglou [22]	24	Athens
Holland	Carina Verbeek [32]	19	The Hague
Hong Kong	Vivian Cheung [35]	20	Hong Kong
Iceland	Svanhildur Jakobsdóttir [36]	19	Reykjavík
Israel	Aliza Gur [37]	19	Haifa
Italy	Daniela Bianchi [38]	18	Rome
Japan	Yayoi Furuno [39]	19	Fukuoka
Jordan	Helen Giatanapoulus [35]	19	Amman
Lebanon	Gladys Tabet [40]	18	Beirut
Luxembourg	Marie Venturi	21	Luxembourg City
Morocco	Marilyn Escobar [41]	19	Rabat
New Zealand	Lorraine Jones [42]	21	Wellington
Norway	Ragnhild Aass [43]	19	Oslo
Paraguay	Mercedes Ruggia [5]	22	Asunción
Peru	Medallit Gallino [44]	19	Lambayeque
Portugal	Maria Teresa Cardoso [14]	19	Lisbon
South Africa	Nicolette Caras [45]	19	Johannesburg
South Korea	Miheeja Sohn [15]	19	Seoul
Spain	Teresa del Río [15]	21	Madrid
Suriname	Christine Jie Sam Foek [46]	21	Paramaribo
Sweden	Birgitta Öfling [4]	22	Uppsala
Switzerland	Eliane Maurath [47]	19	Geneva
Tunisia	Marie-Louise Carrigues [48]	21	Tunis
United States	Linda Bement [49]	18	Salt Lake City
Uruguay	Iris Ubal [14]	22	Montevideo
Venezuela	Mary Quiróz [2]	21	Caracas
West Germany	Ingrun Möckel [50]	18	Düsseldorf

Notes

1. Mary Quiróz, Miss Yaracuy 1957, was appointed as the representative of Venezuela at Miss Universe as the Miss Venezuela pageant was held weeks after Miss Universe. ^[2]
2. Ages at the time of the pageant

References

1. "Miss Universe and runners-up". The Spokesman-Review. 11 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
2. Freitas, Alba (20 July 2021). "Materán, Miss Universo Venezuela 2021: Mi meta es inspirar a otros". El Nacional (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
3. "Quartet of queens". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . 22 April 1960. p. 21. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
4. "High temperatures, no breakfast too much for Miss Tunisia". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . 5 July 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
5. Coronel, Raul (15 October 2021). "Te presentamos a todas nuestras representantes en Miss Universe". Epa! (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
6. "[USC02] 48 USC Ch. 3: Front Matter". uscode.house.gov. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
7. Arreola, Estefania (11 November 2021). "Lorena Velázquez era la actriz con la mejor silueta del Cine de Oro y estas FOTOS en traje de baño lo demuestran" [Lorena Velázquez was the actress with the best silhouette of the Golden Cinema and these PHOTOS in a swimsuit prove it]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
8. "Polish girl gets extension of permit". The Telegraph. 8 March 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
9. MacFeely, F. T. (7 July 1960). "Miss U.S.A. will be chosen tonight". The Daily Tribune. Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. p. 11. Retrieved 22 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. Tarihi, Güncelleme (4 May 2020). "Güzeller canlı yayında buluştu" [Beauties met on live broadcast]. Hürriyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
11. "Yarışmayla ünlü oldular!". Hürriyet (in Turkish). November 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
12. Nlend, Jeanne (27 December 2019). "Miss Cameroun 2020: hommage à Honorine Ayissi" [Miss Cameroon 2020: tribute to Honorine Ayissi]. Cameroon Radio Television (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
13. "Entrance by Haiti in "Miss World" Contest desireable". Haiti Sun. 22 May 1960. pp. 8, 13. Retrieved 17 October 2023– via University of Florida Digital Collections.
14. "World Beauties gather in Miami for annual Miss Universe Contest". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . 3 July 1960. pp. 4A. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
15. "15 gorgeous lasses seek world title". The Spokesman-Review. 8 July 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
16. "Miss U.S.A. makes Universe finals". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 9 July 1960. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
17. "Press favorite". The Victoria Advocate. 8 July 1960. p. 4. Retrieved 30 September 2025– via Google Books.
18. "Miss U.S.A. makes Universe finals". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . 9 July 1960. pp. 1, 3A. Retrieved 17 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
19. "El pintor Botero, juez del concurso, relata las intimidades del certamen" [The painter Botero, judge of the contest, recounts the intimacies of the competition]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 16 July 1960. p. 13. Retrieved 30 September 2025– via Google Books.
20. "Careful makeup job". Toledo Blade . Toledo, Ohio. 6 July 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
21. "Miss Universe event beset by high skirt and low age". Daily Press. 3 July 1960. p. 37. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
22. "Added beauty for Gotham skyline". The Day. 25 June 1960. p. 11. Retrieved 17 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
23. "Miss Universe contestants". The Greenwood Commonwealth. 2 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
24. Biderman, Sol (1 August 1960). "Communism in Cuba doesn't bother average Brazilian". The San Bernardino County Sun . San Bernardino, California. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
25. "Loveliness goes by in a water parade". The Singapore Free Press. 5 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via National Library Board.
26. "Florence fashion show". The Windsor Star. 3 November 1960. p. 5. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
27. "Miss Universe contestants hope to see part of U.S. with pageant over". Ocala Star-Banner . 11 July 1960. p. 12. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
28. "Guerra a los "Postizos" en Concurso de Miss Universo" [War against the "Hairpieces" in the Miss Universe Contest]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 8 July 1960. p. 17. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
29. López G., Mauricio (1 December 2003). "Leila Rodríguez, servidora a tiempo completo" [Leila Rodríguez, full time server]. La Nación (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
30. "Miss Cuba picked". The Austin American. 27 June 1960. p. 14. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
31. "Foreign beauties in contest". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . 4 July 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
32. "Beauty and more beauty". Nanaimo Daily News. 28 June 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
33. Junttila, Veli (1 February 2010). "Tarja Nurmelle jatkoaika Miss Suomena" [Tarja Nurme has an extension as Miss Finland]. Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 July 2023.
34. "More queens reach U.S." Sarasota Herald-Tribune . 26 June 1960. p. 23. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
35. "Wedding bells? Beauties to wait". The Miami Herald. 7 July 1960. pp. 1, 68. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
36. "Fegurðardrottning Islands 1960" [Iceland's beauty queen 1960]. Vísir (in Icelandic). 14 June 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Tímarit.is.
37. "Thinking about staying abroad". Daily News. 6 July 1960. p. 5. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
38. Mustara, Antonio (25 June 2016). "Daniela Bianchi, 10 cose da sapere sulla prima Bond girl italiana". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
39. "Pageant Has Its Hassles". Reading Eagle . July 2, 1960. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
40. Evans-Smith, Eileen (26 July 1960). ""Miss Lebanon" in Ottawa enjoying enviable tour". The Ottawa Citizen . p. 24. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.
41. "Camera highlights in news". The News-Sentinel. 30 June 1960. p. 8. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
42. "Red-nosed from saying hello". Williamson Daily News. 1 July 1960. p. 11. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
43. "European beauties". St. Joseph News-Press . 8 June 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Google News Archive.
44. "Miss Perú: las peruanas más bellas de las últimas décadas". El Comercio (in Spanish). 12 November 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
45. "Untitled". The Royal Gazette. 3 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Bermuda National Library.
46. "Christine Jie Sam Foek Miss Suriname 1960". Het Nieuws (in Dutch). 25 June 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Delpher.
47. "«Miss Universe» ist eine Amerikanerin" [«Miss Universe» is an American]. Neue Berner Zeitung (in German). Bern, Switzerland. 27 May 1960. p. 13. Retrieved 6 October 2025– via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
48. "Medals, family, trust, inspiring our beauties". The Miami News. 6 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 26 September 2025– via Newspapers.com.
49. "S.L. beauty takes title of Miss USA". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. 8 July 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 20 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
50. "Humor in the news". The Gazette. 4 June 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 13 October 2023– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Miss Universe official website