Miss Universe 1959

Miss Universe 1959
Date	24 July 1959
Presenters	Byron Palma
Venue	Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Broadcaster	KTTV
Entrants	34
Placements	15
Debuts	Bolivia, Burma, Luxembourg
Withdrawals	Alaska, Australia, British Guiana, Chile, Paraguay, Singapore, Surinam, Venezuela, West Indies
Returns	Austria, Iceland, Thailand, Turkey
Winner	Akiko Kojima  Japan

Miss Universe 1959, the 8th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 24 July 1959 in Long Beach, California, United States. 34 contestants competed and in the end Akiko Kojima of Japan won the competition, becoming the first Asian woman to win the title. She was crowned by Luz Marina Zuluaga from Colombia. This was the last year that the pageant was held in Long Beach before it moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960, prior to the establishment of the Miss International pageant.

Results

Miss Universe 1959 participating nations and results

Placements

Final results	Contestant
Miss Universe 1959	Japan - Akiko Kojima
1st runner-up	Norway - Jorunn Kristjansen
2nd runner-up	USA - Terry Lynn Huntingdon
3rd runner-up	England - Pamela Anne Searle
4th runner-up	Brazil - Vera Regina Ribeiro
Semi-finalists	Belgium - Hélène Savigny  Colombia - Olga Pumarejo Korkor  France - Françoise Saint-Laurent  Germany - Carmela Künzel  Greece - Zoitsa Kouroukli  Iceland - Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir  Israel - Rina Issacov  Korea - Oh Hyun-joo  Poland - Zuzanna Cembrowska  Sweden - Marie Louise Ekström

Contestants

Argentina - Liana Cortijo  Austria - Christine Spatzier  Belgium - Hélène Savigny  Bolivia - Corina Taborga  Brazil - Vera Regina Ribeiro  Burma - Than Than Aye  Canada - Eileen Butter  Colombia - Olga Pumajero Korkor  Costa Rica - Zianne Monturiol  Cuba - Irma Buesa Mas  Denmark - Lisa Stolberg  Ecuador - Carlota Elena Ayala  England - Pamela Anne Searle  France - Françoise Saint-Laurent  Germany - Carmela Künzel  Greece - Zoidsa Kouroukli  Guatemala - Rogelia Cruz Martínez †

Hawaii - Patricia Visser  Holland - Peggy Erwich  Iceland - Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir  Israel - Rina Issacov  Italy - Maria Grazia Buccella  Japan - Akiko Kojima  Korea - Oh Hyun-joo  Luxembourg - Josée Pundel  Mexico - Mirna García Dávila  Norway - Jorunn Kristjansen  Peru - Guadalupe Mariátegui Hawkins  Poland - Zuzanna Cembrzowska  Sweden - Marie Louise Ekström  Thailand - Sodsai Vanijvadhana  Turkey - Ecel Olcay  Uruguay - Claudia Bernat  USA - Terry Lynn Huntingdon

Notes

Withdrawals

•  New Zealand - Arlenne Nesgitt
•  Philippines - Christine Matias