The History of Miss World
Ninety-five of the world's most beautiful women, a photo shoot from the heavenly beaches
of the Maldives, and a live broadcast from London's Millennium Dome presented by king of
chat Jerry Springer and for the first time ever streamed live on the Internet. This
year's Miss World Pageant promises to be the biggest and best yet. And that's saying
something. In the last half-century, the world's No. 1 pageant has enjoyed its fair share
of ups and downs.
It all started way back in 1951 as part of that year's Festival of Britain
celebrations. Officially titled the "Festival Bikini Contest," it was the
British press who dubbed it "Miss World."
The media frenzy welcomed a global audience bigger than international events like the
World Cup and the Olympic Games. Fifty years later, it attracts an annual audience of 2.5
billion people.
Founder Eric Morley, a former bingo hall manager, originally intended the contest to be
a one-time event. But when the Miss Universe Pageant entered the equation the following
year, he decided to make his show an annual one. For Eric and his wife, Julia, it then
became a life's work and passion. Here's a brief look at the history of the pageant over
the years.
|
