Until the summer of 1946, women paraded around on the beach in tight, modest costumes. The most permissible was a two-piece swimsuit, which resembled nothing more than high shorts reaching to the navel and a tight top. The navel was the main no-go area, absolutely forbidden to be shown to polite society.

And here comes the French.

The first was fashion designer Jacques Heym. In May 1946, he unveiled a tiny two-piece swimsuit to the public and proudly called it "Atom," marketing it as "the smallest swimsuit in the world."

But his triumph was short-lived. Just a couple of weeks later, an automotive engineer (yes, the swimsuit was invented by a man who repaired cars!) named Louis Réard, who had inherited his mother's lingerie business, decided to go all-in. He looked at Heim's "Atom," grinned, picked up a pair of scissors, and mercilessly cut away several more centimeters of fabric from the women's panties, finally exposing the navel.

Réard realized that his creation would cause a shock comparable in power only to nuclear weapons. Just then, the United States was testing the "Bikini" atomic bomb in the Pacific Ocean. The name was all over the news.

Louis Réard displayed marketing genius and named his swimsuit "Bikini," launching the slogan: "Bikini—the split Atom!"*

But he had problems with models—nobody wanted to wear it.

When the swimsuit was ready, Réard faced an unexpected problem: not a single respectable Parisian model flatly refused to walk the runway in this uncut look. They feared their careers and reputations would be instantly destroyed.

Réard was forced to resort to extreme measures. He hired a 19-year-old exotic dancer who wasn't afraid to go nude professionally. It was both a triumph and a huge scandal.

The public was divided. Bikinis were officially banned on beaches in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and even some US states. In Germany, appearing in one on a public beach was punishable by a fine or community service.

THIS IS THE ADVENTURE THAT AN ORDINARY BIKINI HAD