Miss Universe 1952 was the first Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, on 28 June 1952.
At the conclusion of the event, actress Piper Laurie crowned Armi Kuusela of Finland as Miss Universe 1952.
Contestants from thirty countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell. The competition featured the Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown, which was previously owned by a Russian czar. The crown was said to have 1,535 diamonds, 300 carats, and was valued at $500,000.
Background
Location and date After Miss America 1951, Yolande Betbeze refused to pose for a publicity picture wearing a swimsuit from Catalina Swimwear, then-Miss Universe executive producer Oliver Reinhardt negotiated in with the officials of Pan American World Airways and Catalina Swimwear to sponsor the Miss Universe pageant, which will be held in Long Beach, California. The city of Long Beach provided $30,000 USD for the competition to be held from 23 June to 30 June 1952.
Selection of participants Thirty contestants from around the world competed in the competition for the first time. The age requirement in this edition is from eighteen to twenty-eight, where women who are married and have children can also participate. Indrani Rahman of India became the first contestant to be married with children.
This policy was changed in 1957 where the participation of women who are married or already have children was prohibited. This policy was then reinstated in 2023. One contestant was selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements Gladys Rubio, Runner-Up of Miss Uruguay 1952, was appointed to represent Uruguay after the winner, Rosa Adela Prunell, withdrew because her mother wanted to accompany her.
Debuts This edition saw the debuts of Alaska, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hawaii, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and the West Germany.
Elisabeth van Proosdij of Holland was set to compete for the first time but withdrew because she was already married during her reign, despite Miss Universe permitting married contestants. Leila Teresa Tuma of Syria withdrew due to political tensions in her country. Brazil and the Republic of China were invited but withdrew due to insufficient preparations for national pageants.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1952 – Armi Kuusela(relinquished) 1st Runner-Up – Elsa Edsman 2nd Runner-Up Greece – Ntaizy Mavraki 3rd Runner-Up Hong Kong – Judy Dan 4th Runner-Up – Renate Hoy Top 10 – Olga Llorens Pérez – Catherine Higgins – Anne Marie Tistler – Jacqueline Loughery – Gladys Rubio
Special awards Award Contestant Miss Amity – Myriam Lynn Miss Friendship Montana – Valerie Johnson Most Popular Girl in Parade – Esther Saavedra Miss Welcome to Long Beach Jeri Miller
Contestants Thirty contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Alaska 19 Fairbanks Australia 19 Elwood Belgium 25 Brussels Canada 21 Ontario Chile 23 Santiago Cuba 20 Havana Denmark 20 Copenhagen Finland 17 Muhos France 22 Paris Great Britain 21 London Greece 18 Athens Hawaii 20 Honolulu Hong Kong 21 Hong Kong India 21 Chennai Israel 18 Tel Aviv Italy 19 Lombardy Japan 20 Osaka Mexico 21 Ciudad Juárez Norway 24 Oslo Panama 18 Coclé Peru 18 Apurímac Philippines 19 Malolos Puerto Rico 20 Lares South Africa 19 Transvaal Sweden 19 Stockholm Turkey 18 Ankara United States 21 Brooklyn Uruguay 21 Montevideo Venezuela 23 Tumeremo West Germany 21 Ludwigshafen
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website