Find Out Who Took the Miss Universe Crown the Year You Were Born

1954: Miss USA, Miriam Stevenson

In 1954, Miss USA Miriam Stevenson snatched the Miss Universe crown—and the headlines. Why? As the Associated Press reported, her luggage went missing for an entire week after she flew from South Carolina to California. She then passed on the Miss USA crown to Carlene King Johnson, setting a precedent that still follows today.

Miriam eventually stepped into the spotlight as a TV host and actress; she even turned down a Hollywood contract in favor of a deal with Universal Studios. In 1957, she married Donald Upton and focused on family life, occasionally appearing as a pageant icon in public as a judge and mentor.

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