Gladys Zender is a beauty queen from Peru who became the first Latin American woman to garner the Miss Universe title.
Miss Japan Akiko Kojima is the first woman from Asia to be crowned Miss Universe.
Margaret Gardiner of South Africa was crowned Miss Universe 1978 by outgoing titleholder Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, earning Africa's first Miss Universe crown.
Miss Universe 1955 Hillevi Rombin of Sweden is the first winner to witness her victory being aired on television.
Miss Universe 1957 Gladys Zender from Peru was the youngest Miss Universe in history. She was 17 when she won the title.
Miss Universe 1997 Brook Lee from United States was the oldest Miss Universe in history. She was crowned at the age of 26.
On three occasions, contestants that did not place in Miss World: Georgina Rizk, Angela Visser, and Mpule Kwelagobe, eventually captured the Miss Universe crown.
Miss Universe 1971 Georgina Rizk of Lebanon
Miss Universe 1989 Angela Visser of Holland
Miss Universe 1999
Eight Miss Universe delegates placed as runners-up or semifinalists in Miss Universe beauty pageant and later won the Miss World title.
Susana Duijm of Venezuela 1955 — semifinalist
Corine Rottschäfer of Holland 1958 — semifinalist
Rosemarie Frankland of Wales 1961 — first runner-up
Madeleine Hartog Bell of Peru 1966 — semifinalist
Eva Rueber-Staier of Austria 1969 — semifinalist
Helen Morgan of Wales 1974 (dethroned) — first runner-up
Gina Swainson of Bermuda 1979 — first runner-up
Agbani Darego of Nigeria 2001 — semifinalist
At 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m), Miss Thailand 1965 Apasra Hongsakula was the shortest Miss Universe ever crowned.
At 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), Miss Dominican Republic 2003 Amelia Vega is the tallest Miss Universe ever crowned.
Miss Haiti Evelyn Miot became the first black woman to make it to the semifinals in 1962.
Miss Curaçao Anne Marie Braafheid became the first black woman to place in the top 5 and became first runner up in 1968.
Trinidad and Tobago's Janelle Commissiong became the first woman of African descent to be crowned Miss Universe in 1977 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
While the first black African to win Miss Universe was Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana who was crowned in 1999 at Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. She was also the first ever delegate from Botswana in the pageant. Notably, people of African and Indian descent comprise the majority of Trinidad and Tobago's population.
Only once have black women won Miss Universe in succession. Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago won the title in 1998, followed by Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana in 1999.