"July 5, 1946: Shortly after the test of a nuclear explosion in a South Pacific atoll named Bikini, French fashion designer Louis Reard introduced a swimsuit of the same name, hoping that the new outfit would cause a similarly explosive reaction. It's fair to say that he succeeded. ""The new 'Bikini' swimming costume (in a newsprint-patterned fabric) ... caused a sensation at a beauty contest at the Molitor swimming pool in Paris,"" the caption reads. ""... Reard was unable to find a 'respectable' model for his costume and the job of displaying it went to 19-year-old Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris. She is holding a small box into which the entire costume can be packed."" Photo: Getty Images"
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