Miss World Winners -- 1951-1979

Madeleine Hartog-Bel - Peru - Miss World 1967

I don't watch beauty pageants as closely as I did when I was little, but I do like to look at the names of the contestants. They are all so fascinating, just like the women who bear them, and I have to admit, I love the gossip and scandals as much as the next person. In our first installment I'll be covering the Miss World winners from the first pageant in 1951 all the way up to 1979.

Kiki Håkansson - Sweden - 1951 (Kerstin Håkansson)
May-Louise Flodin - Sweden - 1952
Denise Perrier - France - 1953
Antigone Costanda - Egypt (Greek-Egyptian) - 1954 (First African woman to win)
Susana Duijm - Venezuela - 1955 (Carmen Susana Duijm Zubillaga; First Latin-American woman to win)
Petra Schürmann - Germany - 1956 (Hildegard Petra Susanna Schürmann)
Marita Lindahl - Finland - 1957
Penelope Coelen - South Africa - 1958
Corine Rottschäfer - The Netherlands - 1959

Norma Cappagli - Argentina - 1960
Rosemarie Frankland - United Kingdom (Welsh) - 1961
Catharina Lodders - The Netherlands - 1962
Carole Crawford - Jamaica - 1963 (First woman from the Caribbean to win)
Ann Sidney - United Kingdom - 1964
Lesley Langley - United Kingdom - 1965
Reita Faria - India - 1966 (The first Asian woman to win and the only woman to be a doctor at the same time she competed)
Madeleine Hartog-Bel - Peru - 1967 (Sometimes credited as Madeline)
Penelope Plummer - Australia - 1968
Eva Rueber-Staier - Austria - 1969

Jennifer Hosten - Grenada - 1970
Lúcia Petterle - Brazil - 1971
Belinda Green - Australia - 1972
Marjorie Wallace - America - 1973 (First American woman to win; She was stripped of her crown after having an affair with Tom Jones while she was engaged)
Helen Morgan - United Kingdom (Welsh) - 1974 (Was forced to resign after it was discovered she had a baby)
Anneline Kriel - South Africa - 1974 (Made Miss World after Helen Morgan resigned)
Wilnelia Merced - Puerto Rico - 1975 (To this day the only Puerto Rican Miss World)
Cindy Breakspeare - Jamaica - 1976 (Cynthia Jean Cameron Breakspeare)
Mary Stävin - Sweden - 1977Silvana Suárez - Argentina - 1978
Gina Swainson - Bermuda - 1979