Miss Universe 1959
Miss Universe 1959, the 8th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 24 July 1959 at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States. 34 contestants competed and in the end Akiko Kojima of Japan won the competition, becoming the first Asian woman to win the title. She was crowned by Luz Marina Zuluaga from Colombia.[1] This was the last year that the pageant was held in Long Beach before it moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960, before the establishment of the Miss International pageant.
Miss Universe 1959 | |
---|---|
![]() Miss Universe 1959 Akiko Kojima | |
Date | 24 July 1959 |
Presenters | Byron Palma |
Venue | Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States |
Broadcaster | KTTV |
Entrants | 34 |
Placements | 15 |
Debuts | |
Withdrawals | |
Returns | |
Winner | Akiko Kojima![]() |
Congeniality | Sodsai Vanijvadhana ![]() |
Photogenic | Pamela Anne Searle ![]() |
Results

Miss Universe 1959 participating nations and results
Contestants
Argentina - Liana Cortijo
Austria - Christine Spatzier
Belgium - Hélène Savigny
Bolivia - Corina Taborga
Brazil - Vera Regina Ribeiro
Burma - Than Than Aye
Canada - Eileen Butter
Colombia - Olga Pumajero Korkor
Costa Rica - Zianne Monturiol
Cuba - Irma Buesa Mas
Denmark - Lisa Stolberg
Ecuador - Carlota Elena Ayala
England - Pamela Anne Searle
France - Françoise Saint-Laurent
Germany - Carmela Künzel
Greece - Zoitsa Kouroukli †
Guatemala - Rogelia Cruz Martínez
Hawaii - Patricia Visser
Holland - Peggy Erwich
Iceland - Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir
Israel - Rina Issacov
Italy - Maria Grazia Buccella
Japan - Akiko Kojima
Korea - Oh Hyun-joo
Luxembourg - Josée Pundel
Mexico - Mirna García Dávila
Norway - Jorunn Kristjansen
Peru - Guadalupe Mariátegui Hawkins
Poland - Zuzanna Cembrzowska
Sweden - Marie Louise Ekström
Thailand - Sodsai Vanijvadhana
Turkey - Ecel Olcay
Uruguay - Claudia Bernat
United States - Terry Lynn Huntingdon
Notes
Designation
Thailand - Sodsai Vanijvadhana was appointed by the pageant organizers in that time with the coordinations from the Royal Thai Consulate in Los Angeles.[2] Sodsai was an exchange student in UCLA at the time before she competed in the pageant.
Did not compete
New Zealand - Arlenne Nesgitt
Philippines - Christine Matias
United Arab Republic - Nawal Ramli
Awards
Thailand - Miss Friendship (Sodsai Vanijvadhana)
England - Miss Photogenic (Pamela Anne Searle)
Korea - Most Popular Girl (Oh Hyun-joo)
General References
- West, Donald (ed.). "Miss Universe 1959". pageantopolis.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
References
- "Japanese Girl Beauty Queen". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 26, 1959. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- "Why did Sodsai Vanijvadhana compete in Miss Universe as Miss Thailand even though she didn't win any pageants?". Retrieved May 15, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.