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225px Micheline Bernardini wearing the first bikini A bikini is a type of women's bathing suit, characterized by two separate parts—one covering the breasts, the other the groin and buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two garments.

Two-piece garments worn by women for athletic purposes have been observed on Greek urn s and paintings, dated as early as 1400 BC.

The modern bikini was invented by engineer Louis Reard in Paris in 1946 (introduced on July 5), and named after Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear weapon tests in the Marshall Islands, on the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like the atomic bomb.

Reard's suit was a refinement of the work of Jacques Heim who, two months earlier, had introduced the "Atome" (named for its size) and advertised it as the world's "smallest bathing suit". Reard split the "atome" even smaller, but could not find a model who would dare to wear his design. He ended up hiring Micheline Bernardini , a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris , as his model.

It took fifteen years for the bikini to be accepted in the United States. In 1951 bikinis were banned from the Miss World ContestThe Miss World pageant (not to be confused with Miss Universe) is an international beauty pageant founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. It started as the Festival Bikini Contest in honor of the swimwear getting notoriety at the time, but w. In 1957Events January January 2 San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge. January 3 Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch January 4 After 69 years the last issue of Colliers magazine is published January 5 Russell Endean becomes t, however, Brigitte BardotBrigitte Bardot (born September 28, 1934 in Paris) is a French actress and model, daughter of an industrialist. Also known simply as BB ("Bri-Bri" in childhood) she is considered the embodiment of the 1950s "sex kitten. In the 1970s Bardot established her's bikini in And God Created WomanAnd God Created Woman ( French title: Et Dieu. crea la femme is a 1956 movie starring Brigitte Bardot. It is widely recognized as the vehicle that launched Bardot into the public spotlight and immediately created her "sex kitten" persona. The movie pushed created a market for the swimwear in the US, and in 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, Brian HylandBrian Hyland (b. November 12, 1943) was a moderately successful pop artist from Queens, New York during the 1960s. Although not known as a major force in the history of rock and roll, Hyland did record two notable songs before his pop music success declin's pop song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" inspired a bikini-buying spree. Finally the bikini caught on, and by 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey, the movie Beach Party , starring Annette FunicelloAnnette Funicello (born October 22, 1942) was one of Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeers. Born in Utica, New York, she took dancing and music lessons as a child and was discovered by Walt Disney while performing in Swan Lake''. She was cast as one of and Frankie Avalon, led a wave of films that made the bikini a pop-culture symbol.

In recent years, the term monokini has come into use for topless bathing by women: where the bikini has two parts, the monokini is the lower part. Where monokinis are in use, the word bikini may jokingly refer to a two-piece outfit consisting of a monokini and a sun hat. The term was coined by Rudi Gernreich.

The tankini is a swimsuit combining a tank top and a bikini bottom.

The lower part of the bikini was further reduced in size in the 1980s to the Brazilian thong, where the back of the suit is so thin that it disappears into the buttocks. Recently bikinis have been getting smaller. This trend started with the top piece, but after shrinking the top so much that it barely covers the nipples, swimsuit manufacturers have moved on to reducing the size of the bottom piece. One can see the trend toward reduction in the following styles: slingshot, mini, teardrop, minimini, micro, and, what could be called a double g-string, the minimicro.

Sportswomen who play beach volleyball are required to wear bikinis.