The Bikini swimsuit is named after Bikini Atoll, where testing on the atomic bomb in the 1940's took place.

The name for the bikini design was coined in 1946 by Parisian engineer Louis Réard, the designer of the bikini. He named the swimsuit after Bikini Atoll, where testing on the atomic bomb was taking place. As the bikini design was provoking and controversial for those times, it was being adopted very slowly. It was even banned from public places of many countries in the beginning. But later the design became popular, as many fashionable film stars appeared on screen wearing a bikini. Nowadays the bikini is a common part of almost every fashionable woman's outfit.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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45 Comments

Howard Groopman

I always thought the designer of the bikini was Seymour Heinie. :)

Vaughan Smith

Howard Groopman, I may be the only one who understood your observation. And people, lay off Tesla, who is harmless, in contrast with many argumentative types spoiling for a fight over trivia, for pity's sake. At least Tesla correctly referred to the 1940s, not 1940's as incorrectly mentioned in the question. There are only a few enlightened people, and Spellcheck is not included, who understand that in English, plurals are NOT apostrophised.

William Laughlin

George Edwards Sin, like Beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

✨KRISTA✨

My bikini days are over. Pregnancy tends to do that! ❤️👙❤️

✨KRISTA✨

Corey Taylor, ❤️👙❤️

Susan Lake-Harris

Vaughan Smith, however, "its" is the possessive form of "it", and "it's" is the contraction of "it is"... and if the question was referring to something that belonged to the 1940s, then an apostrophe can be used for the decade (1940s'), or for the specific year of 1940, the usual apostrophe before the s. But I'm not complaining about what you wrote! I am frequently annoyed when I see the plural of pasta written as pasta's... Have you noticed that it seems to be after vowels that this apostrophe for plurals has become more common?

illonabird

ninakamwene, I remember those days, but in my case, they are long gone. Too bad.

illonabird

Vaughan Smith, You are wrong. Everyone understood the reference.

Rick Brandenburg

Howard Groopman, no thats Seymour Booty!

mlpruett

Howard Groopman, You so funny!!!

daproske

Yep, I liove 50/50 questions...

Corey Taylor

Reard never revealed why he chose the name. Theories include a reference to the island's small size, the revealing garb of its native, or the fact that like an atomic bomb, a woman in a bikini can flatten every man in her path.