UNDATED -- July 5, 1946 is considered one of the most significant dates in the history of fashion. That's when the bikini was debuted at a poolside fashion show in Paris.
The daring two-piece swimsuit was designed by Louis Reard, and modeled by an parisian show-girl named micheline bernardini.
Reard named the swimsuit after the news-making U.S. atomic test of Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week.
Two-piece bathing suits had made appearances previously, but were more conservative.
In 1946, Western Europeans enjoyed their first war-free summer in years, and French designers captured the liberated mood of the people with the skimpier bikini.
The bikini became a mainstay on European beaches in the 1950's, and gained a foothold in American shores in the early 1960's.
