Miss Universe Winners from 1952 to 2007

MISS UNIVERSE TITLE HOLDERS:

1952 Armi Kuusela (Finland)

1953 Christiane Martel (France)

1954 Miriam Stevenson (USA)

1955 Hellevi Rombin (Sweden)

1956 Carol Morris (USA)

1957 Gladys Zender (Peru)

1958 Luz Marina Zuluaga (Colombia)

1959 Akiko Kojima (Japan)

1960 Linda Bement (USA)

1961 Marlene Schmidt (Germany)

1962 Norma Nolan (Argentina)

1963 Idea Maria Vargas (Brazil)

1964 Corinna Tsopei (Greece)

1965 Apasra Hongsakula (Thailand)

1966 Margareta Arvidsson (Sweden)

1967 Sylvia Hitchcock (USA)

1968 Martha Vasconcellos (Brazil)

1969 Gloria Diaz (Philippines)

1970 Marisol Malaret (Puerto Rico)

1971 Georgia Risk (Lebanon)

1972 Kerry Anne Wells (Australia)

1973 Margarita Moran (Philippines)

1974 Amparo Munoz (Spain)

1975 Anne Marie Puhtamo (Finland)

1976 Rina Messinger (Israel)

1977 Janelle Commissiong (Trinidad/Tobago)

1978 Margaret Gardiner (South Africa)

1979 Maritza Sayalero (Venezuela)

1980 Shawn Weatherly (USA)

1981 Irene Saez (Venezuela)

1982 Karen Baldwin (Canada)

1983 Lorraine Downes (New Zealand)

1984 Yvonne Ryding (Sweden)

1985 Deborah Carthy-Deu (Puerto Rico)

1986 Barbara Palacios Teyde (Venezuela)

1987 Cecilia Bolocco (Chile)

1988 Porntip Nakhirunkanok (Thailand)

1989 Angela Visser (Holland)

1990 Mona Grudt (Norway)

1991 Lupita Jones (Mexico)

1992 Michelle McLean (Namibia)

1993 Dayanara Torres (Puerto Rico)

1994 Sushmita Sen (India)

1995 Chelsi Smith (USA)

1996 Alicia Machado (Venezuela)

1997 Brook Lee (USA)

1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam (Trinidad-Tobago)

1999 Mbule Kwelagobe (Botswana)

2000 Lara Dutta (India)

2001 Denise Quinones (Puerto Rico)

2002 Oksana Fyodorova (Russia)

*2002 Justine Pasek (Panama)

2003 Amelia Vega Polanco (Dominican Republic)

2004 Jennifer Hawkins (Australia)

2005 Natalie Glebova (Canada)

2006 Zuleyka Rivera (Puerto Rico)

2007 Riyo Mori (Japan)

*dethroned

Top 10 Countries with most number of wins and runner-ups

1. USA - Wins: 7; 1stRU: 8; 2ndRU: 6

2. Puerto Rico - Wins: 5; 1stRU: 1; 2ndRU: 2

3. Venezuela - Wins: 4; 1stRU: 6; 2ndRU: 5

4. Sweden - Wins: 3; 1stRU: 1; 2ndRU: 2

5. Brazil - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 5; 2ndRU: 0

6. Finland - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 3; 2ndRU: 5

7. Australia - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 2; 2ndRU: 1

8. Japan - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 1; 2ndRU: 1

9. India - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 1; 2ndRU: 1

10. Canada - Wins: 2; 1stRU: 1; 2ndRU: 1

Philippines

The Philippines won the title twice. The first time was in 1969 courtesy of Gloria Diaz and the second time was in 1973 courtesy of Margarita Moran. Mirriam Quiambao almost won the title in 1999 where she ended up 1st runner-up. The late Chat Silayan won 3rd runner-up in 1980. Desiree Verdadero won 3rd runner-up in 1984. Chiqui Brosas won 4th runner-up in 1975.

Special Awards

The Philippines has won the Miss Photogenic award seven times (including a back-to-back and a three-peat), followed by the UK and Puerto Rico, both with five. Puerto Rico won its five awards during a six-year period (1999-2004, did not win in 2000).

Colombia has won the Best National Costume Award six times.

.

Guam has won the Miss Congeniality award four times.

.

No Miss Congeniality has ever gone on to win Miss Universe. The closest was Miss El Salvador 1955, who was 1st runner-up.

.

The only Miss Universe to win 3 other awards on pageant night was Denise Quiñones (Miss Puerto Rico), who in 2001 also won Miss Photogenic, Bluepoint Swimsuit Award, and Clairol Best Style Award.

.
Four Miss Universe winners were awarded Miss Photogenic: Margareta Arvidsson (Sweden, 1966), Margarita Moran (Philippines, 1973), Janelle Commissiong (Trinidad/Tobago, 1977) and Denise Quiñones (Puerto Rico, 2001)
.

Three titleholders have also won Best National Costume: Porntip Nakhirunkanok (Thailand, 1988), Wendy Fitzwilliams (Trinidad/Tobago, 1998) and Amelia Vega (Dominican Republic, 2003)

Perfectly Unperfect Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.

The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.

The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you.

You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart. But, because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people, I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting.

So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.