Miss world 1954

On 18^th October 1954 Antigone Costanda, Miss Egypt, became the first non-European to be crowned Miss World. The following year, during the 1955 Miss World beauty pageant, Costanda did not attend the event and crown her successor as per the usual tradition due to political hostilities between Egypt and Britain over the Suez Canal.

On 15^th October during the 1956 Miss World pageant this photo is taken of Miss Israel (Rina Weiss – left), holding hands with Miss Egypt (Normal Dugo – right). Some two weeks later on the 29^th October, Israel invaded the Egyptian Sinai.

Carole Crawford, Miss Jamaica, became Miss World in 1963, just months after Jamaican independence in 1962.

Remembered as one of the shortest entrants (only 5’3”) and a face that was ‘uncharacteristically Jamaican’, being only part black, Carole became the first “coloured” Miss World. She went on to become a nationally recognised icon – with her face pictured on a special issue of more than 3 million stamps.