Location and date The decade of the 1950s began and Europe was just beginning to rise after World War II. In Britain, people slowly returned to normal. Herbert Morrison, a member of the British parliament, began planning the centennial celebration of the
1851 Great Exhibition. In the summer of 1951, the “
Festival of Great Britain” was finally born and it was located in Central London, on the banks of the River Thames. Morley’s suggestion was accepted and the planning of the first Miss World pageant was in full swing. He saw how Bikini fashion was popular and decided that the contest would show beautiful women wearing that tiny garment. Initially, the event would be called “Girl Bikini Contest of the Festival of Great Britain” but due to its international character and after the comment of some journalists, Morley decided to call it “Miss World” after making sure that name had not been previously used or patented. The first
Miss World contest would be held that summer of 1951, being one of the last events of the Festival of Great Britain.
Selection of participants Debuts Twenty-seven contestants from seven countries were selected to compete in the pageant, which included twenty-one from the United Kingdom. This edition marked the debuts of Denmark, France, Holland, Mexico, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Originally, there were thirty contestants competing in the pageant, but Mary Akroyd and two more married ladies decided not to show up due to their husbands’ objection to showing themselves wearing bikinis before the eyes of other men. == Results ==