1970

In an important racial milestone, Cheryl Browne, win the Miss Iowa title and becomes the first African-American woman to compete in the Miss America Pageant. Although she fails to make the semifinals, her achievement paves the way for the selection of the first black Miss America.

1971

The Miss National Teen-Ager Pageant is founded in Atlanta as a scholarship pageant for girls. Sharon McLarty of Mississippi wins.

1973

The Miss Universe pageant is broadcast live worldwide via satellite for the first time. The beautiful broadcast from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece begins a tradition of televising Universe Pageants from exotic locales around the globe.

1973

Marjorie Wallace, the first American to be named Miss World, is stripped of her title after rumors of affairs with a string of famous bachelors.

1974

Philippine First Lady, Imelda Marcos spares no expense to host the Miss Universe Pageant, only to have the event threatened by an approaching typhoon. Marcos calls in the military to seed monsoon clouds in an effort to diffuse the storm. Amparo Munoz, Miss Spain, wins the crown.

1974

Feminists return to Atlantic City where they stage a feminist conference and protest the Miss America Pageant. Oddly, that year, the pageants two most accomplished winners share the spotlight--Rebecca King, the no-nonsense 1973 titleholder who tells reporters she entered to earn money for law school, and her successor, Shirley Cothran (1974), a master's degree recipient who later earns her doctorate.

1976

The Miss United Teenager Pageant is started. The Cinderella Pageant begins, quickly becoming a leading children's scholarship pageant.

1977

The Miss Teen All America Pageant is started.

1977

David Marmel purchases the defunct Mrs. America Pageant. He revamps the cooking and sewing contest for homemakers into a glamorous televised beauty pageant for married women.

1977

In a major racial breakthrough, Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad-Tobago, becomes the first black woman to win the coveted Miss Universe title. The historic moment is televised live by satellite from the Dominican Republic.

1978

In a surreal moment in pageant history, the first black Miss Universe, Janelle Commissiong, crowns her successor, Margaret Gardiner, a white Miss South Africa.

1979

Moments after the credits roll for the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant in Australia, the stage collapses as 200 reporters and contestants rush forward to congratulate the winner, Maritza Sayalero, of Venezuela. Eight contestants plunge through the stage floor to the concrete beneath and Miss Malta and Miss Turkey are hospitalized for minor injuries after rescue workers pull them from the debris.

 

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