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{{Short description|Beauty pageant edition}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox beauty pageant
{{Infobox beauty pageant
| image = Kiki Håkansson 02.jpg
| image = Kiki Håkansson 01 (cropped).jpg
| caption = '''[[Kiki Håkansson]]''', Miss World 1951
| caption = Kiki Håkansson
| winner = '''[[Kiki Håkansson]]'''
| winner = [[Kiki Håkansson]]
| represented = '''{{flag|Sweden}}'''
| represented = Sweden
| date = 27 July 1951
| date = 29 July 1951
| presenters = {{Hlist|[[Eric Morley]]}}
| presenters = {{Hlist|[[Eric Morley]]}}
| entrants = 27
| entrants = 27
| placements = 5
| placements = 5
| venue = [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Ballroom]], [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
| venue = [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Ballroom]], [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
| debuts = {{Hlist|[[Denmark]]|[[France]]|[[Holland]]|[[Mexico]]|[[Sweden]]|[[United Kingdom]]|[[United States]]}}
| debuts = {{Hlist|Denmark|France|Holland|Mexico|Sweden|United Kingdom|United States}}
| next = [[Miss World 1952|1952]]
| next = [[Miss World 1952|1952]]
}}
}}


'''Miss World 1951''', the 1st [[Miss World]] pageant, was held on the 27th of July 1951 at the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Ballroom]] in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]. The contest was originally intended to be a one-off event connected with the [[Festival of Britain]].<ref>http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/first-miss-world-contest The First Miss World Contest. Retrieved 24 June 2017</ref> A total of 27 contestants competed for the inaugural Miss World title.
'''Miss World 1951''' was the first [[Miss World]] pageant, held at the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Ballroom]] in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] on 29 July 1951. The contest was originally intended to be a one-off event connected with the [[Festival of Britain]]. <ref>{{Cite web|date=11 November 2000|title=Eric Morley; British Entrepreneur Created Miss World Beauty Pageant|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-11-me-50377-story.html|access-date=25 July 2023|website=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref>


At the end of the event, [[Kiki Håkansson]] of [[Sweden]] was announced as Miss World 1951.<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 August 1951|title=Miss World and her £1.000|language=en|pages=3|work=[[The Straits Times]]|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19510806-1.2.42|access-date=25 July 2023|via=[[National Library Board]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=4 August 1951|title='Miss World' and runners-up|language=en|pages=7|work=Singapore Standard|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singstandard19510804-1.2.91|access-date=25 July 2023|via=[[National Library Board]]}}</ref> This is the first victory of Sweden in the history of the pageant. Håkansson is also the only winner to be crowned wearing a bikini.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Magnanti|first=Brooke|date=7 June 2013|title=Miss World bikini ban: why it's no victory for feminists|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/10105935/Miss-World-2013-bikini-ban-why-its-no-victory-for-feminists.html|access-date=25 July 2023|website=The Telegraph|language=en}}</ref>
The winner was [[Kiki Håkansson]] from [[Sweden]]. She wore a bikini when being crowned, the only winner to ever do so.

Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Eric Morley.


==Background==
==Background==
===Location and date===
The decade of the 1950s began and Europe was just beginning to rise after World War II. In Britain, people slowly returned to normal. Herbert Morrison, a member of the British parliament, began planning the centennial celebration of the [[Great Exhibition|1851 Great Exhibition]]. In the summer of 1951, the “[[Festival of Britain|Festival of Great Britain]]” was finally born and it was located in Central London, on the banks of the River Thames.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=The%20decade%20of,the%20River%20Thames%20. Brief History. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref>
The decade of the 1950s began and Europe was just beginning to rise after World War II. In Britain, people slowly returned to normal. Herbert Morrison, a member of the British parliament, began planning the centennial celebration of the [[Great Exhibition|1851 Great Exhibition]].<ref name="science2">{{cite web |title="Circa 1951: Presenting Science to the British Public", Robert Anderson, Oregon State University |url=http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/events/2007paulingconference/video-s2-3-anderson.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706032208/http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/events/2007paulingconference/video-s2-3-anderson.html |archive-date=6 July 2008 |access-date=13 December 2011 |publisher=Osulibrary.oregonstate.edu |df=dmy}}</ref> In the summer of 1951, the “[[Festival of Britain|Festival of Great Britain]]” was finally born and it was located in Central London, on the banks of the River Thames.<ref name="science2" />


⚫
The [[Lyceum Ballroom]], located half a mile from the South Bank where the Festival of Great Britain was being held, belonged to [[Mecca Leisure Group|Mecca Dancing]]. Being so close to the headquarters of the Festival of Great Britain, Mecca Dancing was asked by the event's organizers if they could contribute in any way to the Festival. [[Eric Morley]] was the Publicity Sales Manager of Mecca Dancing, responsible for finding innovative ideas for the Festival. He wanted to create some activity or event that would attract attention, not only to young people but to people of all ages. This is how he suggested creating an international beauty pageant and proposed it to the organizers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cavendish |first=Richard |date=4 April 2001 |title=The First Miss World Contest |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/first-miss-world-contest |access-date=25 July 2023 |website=[[History Today]]}}</ref> Morley’s suggestion was accepted and the planning of the first Miss World pageant was in full swing. He saw how Bikini fashion was popular and decided that the contest would show beautiful women wearing that tiny garment. Initially, the event would be called “Girl Bikini Contest of the Festival of Great Britain” but due to its international character and after the comment of some journalists, Morley decided to call it “Miss World” after making sure that name had not been previously used or patented. The first [[Miss World]] contest would be held that summer of 1951, being one of the last events of the Festival of Great Britain.
===Planning of the pageant===
⚫
The “[[Lyceum Ballroom]]”, located half a mile from the South Bank where the Festival of Great Britain was being held, belonged to [[Mecca Leisure Group|Mecca Dancing]]. Being so close to the headquarters of the Festival of Great Britain, Mecca Dancing was asked by the event's organizers if they could contribute in any way to the Festival. [[Eric Morley]] was the Publicity Sales Manager of Mecca Dancing, responsible for finding innovative ideas for the Festival. He wanted to create some activity or event that would attract attention, not only to young people but to people of all ages. This is how he suggested creating an international beauty pageant and proposed it to the organizers.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CLyceum%20Ballroom,contestants%20came%20from. How Miss World was Born. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref> Morley’s suggestion was accepted and the planning of the first Miss World pageant was in full swing. He saw how Bikini fashion was popular and decided that the contest would show beautiful women wearing that tiny garment. Initially, the event would be called “Girl Bikini Contest of the Festival of Great Britain” but due to its international character and after the comment of some journalists, Morley decided to call it “Miss World” after making sure that name had not been previously used or patented.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=Morley%E2%80%99s%20suggestion%20was,used%20or%20patented. How Miss World was Born. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref>
The first [[Miss World]] contest would be held that summer of 1951, being one of the last events of the Festival of Great Britain.


===Selection of participants===
=== Selection of participants ===

The first thing was to get that several countries could be interested and send a representative. Through Morley's contacts, he managed to send invitations to the [[United States]], [[France]], [[Belgium]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Ireland]], [[Germany]], [[Finland]], [[Switzerland]], [[Holland]], [[Turkey]], and [[Japan]]. Morley spent hours writing letters and making phone calls looking for people to find candidates in those nations. From all of those countries, Morley received an affirmative answer from five of them but time was running out.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=The%20first%20%E2%80%9CMiss,change%20his%20mind. The Premiere Contest of Miss World. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref> Morley decided to make a casting call to recruit British contestants a few days before the final on July 24th, 1951 at the Lyceum Ballroom facilities. At the end, Morley managed to have a total of 24 contestants from all over the United Kingdom, plus a girl of Mexican origin who was studying in London and who would represent her native Mexico in the contest. With those twenty-four Britons and the six international beauties, Morley already had thirty women enrolled.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=Having%20only%20five,be%20a%20success. The Premiere Contest of Miss World. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref>
==== Debuts and withdrawals ====
Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries were selected to compete in the pageant. This edition marked the debuts of Denmark, France, Great Britain, Holland, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. Originally, there were thirty contestants competing in the pageant, but Mary Akroyd and two more married ladies decided not to show up due to their husbands’ objection to showing themselves wearing bikinis before the eyes of other men.


==Results==
==Results==
[[File:Miss World 1951 Map of Countries and Territories.png| thumb | 445x394px | right | Miss World 1951 Participating countries and territories]]
[[File:Miss World 1951 Map of Countries and Territories.png| thumb |250x250px| Miss World 1951 participating countries and territories]]



{| class="wikitable"
=== Placements ===
⚫
|+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
|'''Final Result'''
!Placement
|'''Contestants'''
!Contestant
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#6495ED" | '''Miss World 1951'''
|'''Miss World 1951'''
⚫
|
| bgcolor="#6495ED" |
* {{flag|Sweden}} – [[Kiki Håkansson]]†<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=18 August 1951 |title=Swedesh miss wins beauty title |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eSdgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_24NAAAAIBAJ&pg=7198%2C1874030 |access-date=29 February 2024 |work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix |pages=4 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref>
* '''{{flag|Sweden}}''' - '''[[Kiki Håkansson]]'''
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" | '''1st runner-up'''
|1st runner-up
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" |
* '''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Laura Ellison-Davies
* {{flag|England}} – Laura Ellison-Davies<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" | '''2nd runner-up'''
|2nd runner-up
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" |
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Doreen Gaffney-Dawne
*{{flag|England}} – Doreen Gaffney-Dawne<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" | '''3rd runner-up'''
|3rd runner-up
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" |
*'''{{flag|France}}''' - Jacqueline Lemoine
*{{flag|France}} – Jacqueline Lemoine
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" | '''4th runner-up'''
|4th runner-up
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF66" |
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Aileen P. Chase
*{{flag|England}} – Aileen P. Chase
|}
|}




==Contestants==
==Contestants==
26 contestants competed for the first edition of Miss World
27 contestants competed for the first edition of Miss World
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*'''{{flag|Denmark}}''' - Lily Jacobson
*'''{{flag|Denmark}}''' - Lily Jacobson
*'''{{flag|France}}''' - Jacqueline Lemoine
*'''{{flag|France}}''' - Jacqueline Lemoine
*'''{{Flag|Great Britain}}''' - Aileen P. Chase
*'''{{Flag|England}}''' - Aileen P. Chase
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Ann Rosemary West
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Ann Rosemary West
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Brenda Mee
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Brenda Mee
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Doreen Gaffney-Dawne
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Doreen Gaffney-Dawne
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Elaine Pryce
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Elaine Pryce
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Fay Cotton
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Fay Cotton
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Jean Sweeney
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Jean Sweeney
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Jean Worthe
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Jean Worthe
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Laura Ellison-Davis
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Laura Ellison-Davies
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Margaret Mills
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Margaret Mills
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Margaret Morgan
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Margaret Morgan
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Margaret Turner
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Margaret Turner
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Marlene Ann Dee
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Marlene Ann Dee
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Mary McLaney
*'''{{flag|Scotland}}''' - Mary McLaney
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Maureen O'Neill
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Maureen O'Neill
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Nina Way
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Nina Way
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Norma Kitchen
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Norma Kitchen
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Pat Cameron
*'''{{flag|Scotland}}''' - Pat Cameron
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Sidney June Walker
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Sydney Walker
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Sylvia Wren
*'''{{flag|England}}''' - Sylvia Wren
*'''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Thelma Kerr
*'''{{flag|Northern Ireland}}''' - Thelma Kerr
*'''{{flag|Holland}}''' - Margaret van Beer
*'''{{flag|Holland}}''' - Margaret Van Beer
*'''{{flag|Sweden}}''' - '''[[Kiki Håkansson]]'''
*'''{{flag|Sweden}}''' - '''[[Kiki Håkansson]]'''
*'''{{flag|United States}}''' - Annette Gibson
*'''{{flag|United States}}''' - Annette Gibson
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}



==Notes==
==Notes==
<references group="lower-alpha" responsive="1"></references>
===Debuts===
* '''{{flag|Denmark}}'''
* '''{{flag|France}}'''
* '''{{flag|Holland}}'''
* '''{{flag|Sweden}}'''
* '''{{flag|United Kingdom}}'''
* '''{{flag|United States}}'''

===Retreats===
* '''{{flag|Great Britain}}''' - Originally, there were 30 contestants competing in the pageant, but Mary Akroyd and two more married ladies decided not to show up due to their husbands’ objection to showing themselves wearing bikinis before the eyes of other men.<ref>https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/#:~:text=Mary%20Akroyd%20and%20two%20more%20beautiful%20married%20ladies%2C%20decided%20not%20to%20show%20up%20due%20to%20their%20husbands%E2%80%99%20objection%20to%20showing%20themselves%20wearing%20bikinis%20before%20the%20eyes%20of%20other%20men. The Premiere Contest of Miss World. Retrieved 20 June 2021</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 108: Line 101:
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.missworld.com Miss World official website]
* [http://www.missworld.com Miss World official website]
* [https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/08/miss-world-1951/ Miss World 1951]


{{Miss World}}
{{Miss World}}
Line 115: Line 107:
[[Category:1951 in London]]
[[Category:1951 in London]]
[[Category:1951 beauty pageants]]
[[Category:1951 beauty pageants]]
[[Category:Beauty pageants in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Beauty pageants in England]]
[[Category:July 1951 events]]
[[Category:July 1951 events in the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 10:15, 10 December 2024

Miss World 1951
Kiki Håkansson
Date29 July 1951
Presenters
VenueLyceum Ballroom, London, United Kingdom
Entrants27
Placements5
Debuts
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Holland
  • Mexico
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
WinnerKiki Håkansson
Sweden
1952 →

Miss World 1951 was the first Miss World pageant, held at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, United Kingdom on 29 July 1951. The contest was originally intended to be a one-off event connected with the Festival of Britain. [1]

At the end of the event, Kiki Håkansson of Sweden was announced as Miss World 1951.[2][3] This is the first victory of Sweden in the history of the pageant. Håkansson is also the only winner to be crowned wearing a bikini.[4]

Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Eric Morley.

Background

[edit]

Location and date

[edit]

The decade of the 1950s began and Europe was just beginning to rise after World War II. In Britain, people slowly returned to normal. Herbert Morrison, a member of the British parliament, began planning the centennial celebration of the 1851 Great Exhibition.[5] In the summer of 1951, the “Festival of Great Britain” was finally born and it was located in Central London, on the banks of the River Thames.[5]

The Lyceum Ballroom, located half a mile from the South Bank where the Festival of Great Britain was being held, belonged to Mecca Dancing. Being so close to the headquarters of the Festival of Great Britain, Mecca Dancing was asked by the event's organizers if they could contribute in any way to the Festival. Eric Morley was the Publicity Sales Manager of Mecca Dancing, responsible for finding innovative ideas for the Festival. He wanted to create some activity or event that would attract attention, not only to young people but to people of all ages. This is how he suggested creating an international beauty pageant and proposed it to the organizers.[6] Morley’s suggestion was accepted and the planning of the first Miss World pageant was in full swing. He saw how Bikini fashion was popular and decided that the contest would show beautiful women wearing that tiny garment. Initially, the event would be called “Girl Bikini Contest of the Festival of Great Britain” but due to its international character and after the comment of some journalists, Morley decided to call it “Miss World” after making sure that name had not been previously used or patented. The first Miss World contest would be held that summer of 1951, being one of the last events of the Festival of Great Britain.

Selection of participants

[edit]

Debuts and withdrawals

[edit]

Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries were selected to compete in the pageant. This edition marked the debuts of Denmark, France, Great Britain, Holland, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. Originally, there were thirty contestants competing in the pageant, but Mary Akroyd and two more married ladies decided not to show up due to their husbands’ objection to showing themselves wearing bikinis before the eyes of other men.

Results

[edit]
Miss World 1951 participating countries and territories


Placements

[edit]
Placement Contestant
Miss World 1951
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
  •  France – Jacqueline Lemoine
4th runner-up

Contestants

[edit]

27 contestants competed for the first edition of Miss World

Notes

[edit]


References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Eric Morley; British Entrepreneur Created Miss World Beauty Pageant". The Los Angeles Times. 11 November 2000. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Miss World and her £1.000". The Straits Times. 6 August 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via National Library Board.
  3. ^ "'Miss World' and runners-up". Singapore Standard. 4 August 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via National Library Board.
  4. ^ Magnanti, Brooke (7 June 2013). "Miss World bikini ban: why it's no victory for feminists". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b ""Circa 1951: Presenting Science to the British Public", Robert Anderson, Oregon State University". Osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  6. ^ Cavendish, Richard (4 April 2001). "The First Miss World Contest". History Today. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Swedesh miss wins beauty title". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 18 August 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Google News Archive.
[edit]
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