23
November
2023

Miss Universe Past Winners and Some Interesting Facts

23 Nov 2023 | Aakanksha Chugh

Miss Universe pageant commenced in 1952, and the first ever beauty to be crowned Miss Universe was Armi Kuusela from Finland. Since then sixty-eight editions of the pageant have taken place, the recent being Miss Universe 2019 and the reigning queen is South African beauty Zozibini Tunzi.

Let's look at some interesting facts about Miss Universe pageant and its winners –

a) First time winners from each continent are - Armi Kuusela (Finland, Europe) Miss Universe 1952, Miriam Stevenson (Unites States, North America) Miss Universe 1954, Gladys Zender (Peru, South America) Miss Universe 1957, Akiko Kojima (Japan, Asia) Miss Universe 1959, Kerry Anne Wells (Australia, Oceania) Miss Universe 1972, and Margaret Gardiner (South Africa, Africa) Miss Universe 1978.

b) Armi Kuusela from Finland, the first-ever Miss Universe in 1952, gave up her title, though not officially, to get married, shortly before her year was completed.

c) USA has so far won the maximum number of Miss Universe titles (8), followed by Venezuela (7), Puerto Rico (5) and the Philippines (4).

d) Continent-wise, beauties from Africa have won Miss Universe title 6 times, Asia has won 12 titles, Europe has won 12 titles (excluding dethronement), North America has won 21 titles (including replacement of dethroned winner), Oceania has won 3 titles, and South America has won 14 titles. North American beauties (including Central American countries) lead the tally of Miss Universe wins.

e) Miss Universe 2002, Oxana Fedorova of Russia, became the first ever (and till date only) titleholder to be dethroned. She was stripped of her title due to 'failing to function' in her responsibilities as Miss Universe. Her responsibilities were assumed by the first runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama after her official dethronement on 23rd September 2002, four months after being crowned. Rumours were that she was secretly married and was pregnant, and was dethroned because of that.

f) Leila Lopes of Angola enjoyed the longest reign period of 464 days (12th September 2011 – 18th December 2012).

g) Excluding the year of dethronement,  the shortest completed reign as Miss Universe is that of Iris Mittenaere of France for 300 days (30th January 2017 to 25th November 2017).

h) Seven times so far the winners have been crowned when the pageant was held in their home countries. These winners are - Miriam Stevenson Miss Universe 1954 (USA), Carol Morris Miss Universe 1956 (USA), Linda Bement Miss Universe 1960 (USA), Sylvia Hitchcock – Miss Universe 1967 (USA), Brook Lee – Miss Universe 1997 (USA), Olivia Culpo Miss Universe 2012 (USA) and Denise Quiñones Miss Universe 2001 (Puerto Rico).

i) The oldest winner in the pageant’s history is USA’s Brooke Lee who won Miss Universe 1997 when she was 26 years and 128 days old.

j) The youngest Miss Universe winners have been France's Christiane Martel Miss Universe 1953 (17 years and 181 days old), Peru's Gladys Zender Miss Universe 1957 (17 years and 274 days old) and Finland’s Armi Kuusela Miss Universe 1952 (17 years and 312 days old). All of them were crowned before they turned 18, and all other winners of Miss Universe are above 18.

k) Venezuela’s Dayana Mendoza and Stefanía Fernández are the only winners to win Miss Universe titles for their country consecutively in the year 2008 and 2009.

l) Miss Universe had the maximum number of delegates in 2018 (94), while the least number of delegates to participate in Miss Universe was witnessed in 1953 (26).

 

Rbonnie Gabriel Miss Universe 2022

 

Now, let's look at the past winners/ titleholders of Miss Universe till date –

Miss Universe winners from 1952 – 1960

Armi Kuusela of Finland Miss Universe 1952

Christiane Martel of France Miss Universe 1953

Miriam Stevenson of United States of America Miss Universe 1954

Hillevi Rombin of Sweden Miss Universe 1955

Carol Morris of United States of America Miss Universe 1956

Gladys Zender of Peru Miss Universe 1957

Luz Marina Zuluaga of Colombia Miss Universe 1958

Akiko Kojima of Japan Miss Universe 1959

Linda Bement of United States of America Miss Universe 1960

Miss Universe winners from 1961 – 1970

Marlene Schmidt of Germany Miss Universe 1961

Norma Nolan of Argentina Miss Universe 1962

Iêda Maria Vargas of Brazil Miss Universe 1963

Corinna Tsopei of Greece Miss Universe 1964

Apasra Hongsakula of Thailand Miss Universe 1965

Margareta Arvidsson of Sweden Miss Universe 1966

Sylvia Hitchcock of United States of America Miss Universe 1967

Martha Vasconcellos of Brazil Miss Universe 1968

Gloria Diaz of Philippines Miss Universe 1969

Marisol Malaret of Puerto Rico Miss Universe 1970

 

Miss Universe 2019 Zozobini Tunzi

 

Miss Universe winners from 1971 – 1980

Georgina Rizk of Lebanon Miss Universe 1971

Kerry Anne Wells of Australia Miss Universe 1972

Margarita Moran of Philippines Miss Universe 1973

Amparo Muñoz of Spain Miss Universe 1974

Anne Marie Pohtamo of Finland Miss Universe 1975

Rina Messinger of Israel Miss Universe 1976

Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago Miss Universe 1977

Margaret Gardiner of South Africa Miss Universe 1978

Maritza Sayalero of Venezuela Miss Universe 1979

Shawn Weatherly of United States of America Miss Universe 1980

Miss Universe winners from 1981 – 1990

Irene Sáez of Venezuela Miss Universe 1981

Karen Dianne Baldwin of Canada Miss Universe 1982

Lorraine Downes of New Zealand Miss Universe 1983

Yvonne Ryding of Sweden Miss Universe 1984

Deborah Carthy-Deu of Puerto Rico Miss Universe 1985

Bárbara Palacios of Venezuela Miss Universe 1986

Cecilia Bolocco of Chile Miss Universe 1987

Porntip Nakhirunkanok of Thailand Miss Universe 1988

Angela Visser of Netherlands Miss Universe 1989

Mona Grudt of Norway Miss Universe 1990

Miss Universe winners from 1991 – 2000

Lupita Jones of Mexico Miss Universe 1991

Michelle McLean of Namibia Miss Universe 1992

Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico Miss Universe 1993

Sushmita Sen of India Miss Universe 1994

Chelsi Smith of United States of America Miss Universe 1995

Alicia Machado of Venezuela Miss Universe 1996

Brook Lee of United States of America Miss Universe 1997

Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago Miss Universe 1998

Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana Miss Universe 1999

Lara Dutta of India Miss Universe 2000

 

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray

 

Miss Universe winners from 2001 – 2010

Denise Quiñones of Puerto Rico Miss Universe 2001

Justine Pasek of Panama Miss Universe 2002

Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic Miss Universe 2003

Jennifer Hawkins of Australia Miss Universe 2004

Natalie Glebova of Canada Miss Universe 2005

Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico Miss Universe 2006

Riyo Mori of Japan Miss Universe 2007

Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela Miss Universe 2008

Stefanía Fernández of Venezuela Miss Universe 2009

Ximena Navarrete of Mexico Miss Universe 2010

Miss Universe winners from 2011 to 2020

Leila Lopes of Angola Miss Universe 2011

Olivia Culpo of United States of America Miss Universe 2012

Gabriela Isler of Venezuela Miss Universe 2013

Paulina Vega of Colombia Miss Universe 2014

Pia Wurtzbach of Philippines Miss Universe 2015

Iris Mittenaere of France Miss Universe 2016

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa Miss Universe 2017

Catriona Gray of Philippines Miss Universe 2018

Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa Miss Universe 2019

Andrea Meza of Mexico Miss Universe 2020

Miss Universe winners from 2021 to date

Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu pf India Miss Universe 2021

R’Bonney Nola of USA Miss Universe 2022

Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua Miss Universe 2023

So, who is your favourite Miss Universe?