Originally  titled the "Festival Bikini Contest"at the 1951 Festival of Britain, the competition was quickly renamed Miss World by the press.  28 women gathered in London to compete for this new  title.  Each of them appeared in bikinis. The lovely entrant from Sweden, Kiki Haakanson, won over the judges and was the first to hold the title Miss World.

Eric Morley, founder of the pageant, had intended the contest to be a one-time event, but when the Miss Universe Pageant was established in 1952, he decided to also make Miss World an annual pageant. But by the time the second Miss World Pageant was held in 1952, trouble was brewing.  Countries with strong Catholic populations, such as Ireland and Spain, let it be know that they would not send delegates if the contestants were seen in bikinis.  In an effort to appease these nations, the bikini was officially banned from the pageant.  Alas, Kiki was the first - and last - Miss World to be crowned in a bikini.

 That’s  Kiki in the middle.
 

Things were not all roses at the 1953 pageant, either.  At least not for Miss Egypt, Marina Papaelia.  Convinced that she should win, she sensed things were not going her way during the finals of the pageant.  She refused to come out of her dressing room during the swimsuit competition and stopped the show for ten minutes before agreeing to come out. When the announcement of the winner came, that she was only the third runner up and that Miss France, Denise Perrier was the victor, she went ballistic.  She screamed across the stage in her accented English, "I think she steeenk!"  She then proceeded to collapse onto the stage and writhe about in one of the greatest displays of poor loserdom ever!  "Get the picture? Yes, we see!"

TICK......TICK.....  Go to the 60's....
 

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