Miss Universe 1960

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Miss Universe 1960
Linda Bement
Date7 July 1960 (1960-07-07)
PresentersCharles Collingwood
VenueMiami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Broadcaster
Entrants43
Placements15
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
WinnerLinda Bement
United States
CongenialityMyint Myint May (Burma)
PhotogenicDaniela Bianchi (Italy)

Miss Universe 1960 was the ninth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, 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

PlacementContestant
Miss Universe 1960
1st Runner-Up
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

AwardContestant
Miss Amity
Miss Photogenic

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 Mondial Events Organization through the Miss Europe Committee[19]

Contestants

Forty-three contestants competed for the title.

Country/TerritoryContestantAge[b]Hometown
ArgentinaRose Marie Lincke[20]22Buenos Aires
AustriaElizabeth Hodacs[21]18Vienna
BelgiumHuberte Box[22]19Brussels
BoliviaNancy Aguirre[23]19La Paz
BrazilGina MacPherson[24]19Guanabara
BurmaMyint Myint May[25]18Rangoon
CanadaEdna McVicar[26]19Galt
ChileMarinka Polhammer[27]19Santiago
ColombiaStella Márquez[28]21Pasto
Costa RicaLeila Rodríguez[29]18San José
CubaFlora Lauten[30]18Havana
DenmarkLizzie Hess[4]20Copenhagen
EcuadorIsabel Rolando[31]21Quito
EnglandJoan Boardman[32]22Wallasey
FinlandMaija-Leena Manninen[33]21Helsinki
FranceFlorence Eyrie[34]21 Paris
GreeceMagda Passaloglou[22]24Athens
HollandCarina Verbeek[32]19The Hague
Hong KongVivian Cheung[35]20Hong Kong
IcelandSvanhildur Jakobsdóttir[36]19Reykjavík
IsraelAliza Gur[37]19Haifa
ItalyDaniela Bianchi[38]18Rome
JapanYayoi Furuno[39]19Fukuoka
JordanHelen Giatanapoulus[35]19Amman
LebanonGladys Tabet[40]18Beirut
LuxembourgMarie Venturi21Luxembourg City
MoroccoMarilyn Escobar[41]19Rabat
New ZealandLorraine Jones[42]21Wellington
NorwayRagnhild Aass[43]19Oslo
ParaguayMercedes Ruggia[5]22Asunción
PeruMedallit Gallino[44]19Lambayeque
PortugalMaria Teresa Cardoso[14]19Lisbon
South AfricaNicolette Caras[45]19Johannesburg
South KoreaMiheeja Sohn[15]19Seoul
SpainTeresa del Río[15]21Madrid
SurinameChristine Jie Sam Foek[46]21Paramaribo
SwedenBirgitta Öfling[4]22Uppsala
SwitzerlandEliane Maurath[47]19Geneva
TunisiaMarie-Louise Carrigues[48]21Tunis
United StatesLinda Bement[49]18Salt Lake City
UruguayIris Ubal[14]22Montevideo
VenezuelaMary Quiróz[2]21Caracas
West GermanyIngrun Möckel[50]18Düsseldorf

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.