Grand Slam Ranking and Country of the Year 1974
51-Hawaii; 52-Zimbabwe; 53-Guam; 54-Turkey; 55-Malaysia; 56-Poland; 57-Czechoslovakia; 58-Portugal; 59-Costa Rica; 60-Ecuador; 61-Paraguay; 62-Curaçao; 63-El Salvador; 64-Dominican Republic; 65-Tunisia; 66-Liberia; 67-Seychelles; 68-Scotland; 69-Aruba; 70-US Virgin Islands; 71-Bolivia; 72-Malta; 73-Honduras; 74-Morocco; 75-Suriname; 76-Cyprus; 77-Guatemala; 78-Alaska; 79-Ghana; 79-Kenya; 81-Haiti; 82-Barbados; 82-Montserrat; 84-Singapore; 85-Luxembourg; 86-Bahamas; 87-Bermuda; 88-Gibraltar; 89-Jordan; 90-Trinidad & Tobago; 91-Zaire; 91-Nigeria; 93-Indonesia; 93-Okinawa; 93-West Indies; 96-The Gambia; 96-Madagascar; 96-Burma; 99-Mauritius; 100-Bonaire; 100-Botswana; 100-Syria; 103-Monaco; 103-Tanzania; 103-Uganda; 106-Dahomey; 106-Borneo; 106-Bulgaria; 106-Guernsey; 106-Iraq; 106-Jersey; 106-Martinique; 106-Saint Vincent; 106-Senegal; 106-South Pacific; 106-Zambia.
GRAND SLAM RANKING (1951-74): FRANCE LEAVES THE “TOP 10” FOR THE FIRST TIME
After another very good year, Australia was back to the Top 10, in its highest position that far: 8th place. Who left the select group of the Top 10 powerhouses for the very first time since 1951, was France, 11th (-2). Spain jumped from 27th to 21st place (+6), after its best year yet, which included a Miss Universe victory. Wales, 43rd (+13), and Tahiti, 47th (+7), were newcomers in the “Top 50”, replacing Hawaii and Rhodesia, then 51st and 52nd, respectively.
Among the debutants, Barbados had the most impressive showing, appearing in 82nd place in the Grand Slam Ranking, after a Top 15-placement in Miss World.
The Top 10 in the three Grand Slam pageants by the conclusion of 1974 were:
Miss World Ranking in 1974 (Top 10): 1-UK; 2-United States; 3-South Africa; 4-France; 5-Sweden; 6-Israel; 7-Germany; 8-Denmark; 9-Australia; 10-Finland.
Miss Universe Ranking in 1974 (Top 10): 1-United States; 2-Brazil; 3-Sweden; 4-Finland; 5-Germany; 6-England / UK; 7-Japan; 8-Israel; 9-Philippines; 10-Greece.
Miss International Ranking in 1974 (Top 10): 1-England / UK; 2-United States; 3-Philippines; 4-Finland; 5-Brazil; 6-Australia; 7-Iceland; 8-Argentina; 9-Germany; 10-New Zealand.
1974: ANOTHER FANTASTIC YEAR FOR THE UK
It was indeed the "golden age" for beauty pageants in the United Kingdom, and its beauty queens kept on succeeding internationally in 1974. Helen Morgan was the winner of Miss World that year, and even if she decided to resign afterwards, at least for a while, she was Miss World. Both the Helen's UK and Anneline Kriel's South Africa (who took over the title), earned 3000 points that year. In Miss International, where the UK led the ranking, British beauty queens kept their extraordinary running, this time placing 2nd, with Joanna Booth, who lost the title to Miss USA, Karen Smith. In Miss Universe, Miss England, Kathleen Ann Anders, was a Top 12 semi-finalist, which was enough to put Britain on top, as Country of the Year 1974.
The USA, with a Miss International winner, a semi-finalist in Miss Universe and a 5th place in Miss World, came 2nd that year, followed by Spain in 3rd, who won its first Grand Slam title, Miss Universe, with Amparo Muñoz, and placed among the semi-finalists of Miss World and Miss International .
Here is how the top nations of 1974 scored:
1) United Kingdom (4700 points);
2) United States (4150);
3) Spain (3875);
Top 5: South Africa (3000) and Australia (2275).