The 65th Miss Universe beauty pageant concluded last January 30, 2017, on its coronation night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in the Philippines. 86 candidates from different countries around the world competed for the prestigious title and fans are very excited about who will be the new Miss Universe.
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015, turned over her crown to the new winner, Iris Mittenaere of France, to take the honor and responsibility as the ambassadress of change and influence to the whole universe.
7 Fun Facts To Celebrate The 65th Miss Universe Beauty Pageant
To celebrate its success and to join the amazing event in the country, here are seven fun facts about the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
1) The first winner of the Miss Universe title in 1952 is Miss Finland, Armi Kuusela. The pageant was held last June 28, 1952. On May 4 the next year, she gave up her crown to marry Virgilio Hilario, a Filipino businessman.
2) France won its second Miss Universe title this year. Iris Mittenaere, a French beauty queen, a model, and a degree holder in dentistry represented France in the 65th Miss Universe beauty pageant held in the Philippines. Christiane Martel, Miss Universe 1953 (2nd Miss Universe beauty pageant), was the first French Miss Universe titleholder.
3) There are three Miss Universe titleholder in the Philippines. Gloria Diaz won Miss Universe 1969, the first Filipino to win the title. Margarita Moran, the second winner from the Philippines won Miss Universe 1973. The third Miss Universe titleholder is Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who won the 64th Miss Universe beauty pageant.
4) The top 4 countries with the most number of titleholders are the United States with 8, followed by Venezuela with 7, then Puerto Rico with 5. Philippines and Sweden are tied with 3.
| Country | Number of Titles | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States of America | 8 | 1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1997, 2012 |
| Venezuela | 7 | 1979, 1981, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2013 |
| Puerto Rico | 5 | 1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006 |
| Philippines Sweden |
3 | 1969, 1973, 2015 1955, 1966, 1984 |
5) One of the five titleholders from Puerto Rico is Dayanara Torres, Miss Universe 1993, who turned over the title to Sushmita Sen during the 1994 beauty pageant in the Philippines. She stayed in the country for five years to become an actress. She was one of the judges during the 65th Miss Universe beauty pageant.
6) The candidates included in the top 6 at the 65th Miss Universe beauty pageant are from Thailand, France, Mexico, Kenya, Colombia, Canada, Haiti, and the Philippines. It was then shortlisted to top 3: Colombia, France, and Haiti. At the end, Colombia won 2nd runner-up. Haiti won 1st runner-up, and France won the Miss Universe title.
7) The 1958 Miss Philippines titleholder, Carmen Remedios Tuason, should have been the Philippine candidate for the 7th Miss Universe beauty pageant. However, she did not pursue her Miss Universe stints due to her parents not allowing her to go to Long Beach, California, for the competition. During the pageant, Luz Marina Zuluaga of Colombia won the 7th Miss Universe title, the first ever from Colombia. She was then followed by Paulina Vega in 2014.
Here’s a video where I was able to meet the 12 candidates of the 65th Miss Universe at SM Seaside City Cebu for their UNIQLO event last January 17, 2017.
How about you? Who was your initial bet to win the Miss Universe crown? Leave your answer in the comment section below.
ALSO READ: Can You Really Fake Confidence?
Follow me on my Facebook Page for more features like this or on my Twitter as I usually share my blog links there. If you fancy my random photos and photography stint, I have an Instagram account.
I do video blogging, too. Check my YouTube channel.