Gloria Diaz Still Looks Gorgeous at 74

Gloria Diaz successfully placed the Philippines on the map of global beauty pageants when she took home the highly coveted Miss Universe 1969 title in Miami Beach, Florida.

- Boy Abunda

Gloria Diaz successfully placed the Philippines on the map of global beauty pageants when she took home the highly coveted Miss Universe 1969 title in Miami Beach, Florida. She is a national pride as the first Filipina to achieve this remarkable feat on July 19, 1969. Who could forget her winning answer to pageant host Bob Barker's final question, "In the next day or so, a man will land on the moon. If a man from the moon landed in your hometown, what would you do to entertain him?"

Unperturbed, the then 18-year-old Gloria replied, "Oh, just the same things I do. I think if he has been in the moon for so long, I think when he comes over, he wants to change, I guess." Her simple yet witty answer won the hearts of the judges and the viewers who were watching the prestigious event.

The pageant took place a day before the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing of two American astronauts. This led former US President Richard Nixon to remark, "The United States conquered the moon, but the Philippines conquered the universe," during his state visit to the country on July 26, 1969.