The Miss World 2008 in Johannesburg is upon us. Just 15 days or so to go as I write this.

Last year’s winner was China’s Zhang Zilin.

I thought to do a little research -

History -

 History of the contest

The event was founded in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations.

Eric Morley was the founder.

The BBC televised Miss World from 1959 to 1979.

Thames Television picked up the contract from 1980 to 1988.

At its peak, the show claimed an audience of 27.5 million in Britain alone.

Miss World now pulls in a crowd of 2.5 billion.

The 1950s

The first Miss World – Sweden’s Kiki Haakonson, was crowned in a two-piece swimsuit.

The 1960s

In 1966, India enjoyed its first success with Reita Feria. Articulate, charming and beautiful, she went on to qualify as a doctor, highly respected for her brains and not just her looks.

The 1970s

The first Miss World was hosted by the legendary Bob Hope. In reply to feminist protesters Hope said, “Anyone who would try and break up an affair as wonderful as this has got to be some kind of dope.”

In the 1970 Miss World, two black women – Jennifer Hosten of Grenada and Pearl Jansen of Africa South – claimed first and second place.

By 1979 the show was topping 500 million viewers world-wide.

The 1980s

In 1980, for the first time personality and intelligence came into the evaluation and vital statistics were no longer deemed vital.

In 1986, Halle Berry, then Miss USA, stunned the judges and audiences when she wore a bikini featuring stars and ropes of beads during a parade of national costumes.

The 1990s

Miss World was held in the United States in 1991 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ninibeth Leal won the crown and went on to become one of Venezuela’s most successful models.

The years 1992 to 1995 viewer figures increased from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion.

The contestants were welcomed by President Nelson Mandela and over one million people turned out to see them in Johannesburg.

In 1994 Aishwarya Rai became the second Indian winner. Aishwarya went on to become Bollywood’s biggest female star.

In 1996 over 40,000 people turned out to watch the show at Bangalore’s cricket stadium.

Irene Skliva was the first-ever Greek Miss World.

The start of a new century

In the year 2000 a massive television audience of 2.3 billion witnessed India retain the Miss World crown.

Miss World 2001, Agbani Darego was the first black African winner.

The 2007 contest took place in the People’s Republic of China. Model Zhang Zilin became Miss World.

Up-to-date-News.

Live TV Broadcast Schedule

Photo Galleries for Top Ten Beautiful Women Leading at Miss World 2008

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