Roman Gymnasts
Contrary to popular belief, the bikini was actually an ancient invention, as illustrated by this 4th century Roman mosaic from Villa Romana Del Casale, in Sicily, Italy. Going back even further, two-piece garments were worn by women (for athletic purposes) as early as 1400 B.C., and have been depicted on Greek urns and paintings from that period.
Bikini Bathing
A dressing room on wheels was considered essential to preparing for a swim at Europe's beaches in the 1890's. Ladies would sew weights into the hems of their garments to prevent them from riding up and showing their legs.
Fleshing It Out
During the 1940s, fashion houses pushed the boundaries on bathing suits, exposing considerably more flesh than ever before. War rationing provided the stimulus for the two-piece, when the U.S. government ordered manufacturers to reduce the amount of fabric they used, resulting in the bare midriff. But it would be a Frenchman sitting on a beach in the south of France who worked out that there was money to be made from navel-gazing...
Explosive Beginnings
On July 5th, 1946, French engineer, Louis Réard, designed a garment "smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Four days earlier, the U.S. military had conducted nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Réard hoped that his invention would be as explosive as that test and so called his new creation the bikini. But at first, none of the Parisian models would dare to wear his design.
The Original Itsy Bitsy Girl
Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer, was the first woman ever to wear a bikini, in a July 11, 1946 showing for the press at the fashionable Piscine Molitor in Paris on July 11th 1946. The bikini was so small it could fit into a matchbox, like the one she's holding. Unsurprisingly, Bernardini received plenty of fan mail.
It's a Sin
Bikinis were banned from worldwide beauty pageants after the first Miss World Contest in London in 1951. As the tasteful one-piece continued to reign supreme, the bikini was later also banned in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Australia and even declared sinful by the Vatican.
Raquel on the Rocks
Actress Raquel Welch poses in that legendary cavewoman bikini for a publicity shot for her 1967 movie One Million Years B.C. By this point, many famous actresses had donned the bikini, such as Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and, of course, Bardot.
Having a Ball
The American professional volleyball player (and model) Gabrielle Reece promotes her sport in 1997. Her team took first place at the first-ever Beach Volleyball World Championships but she's probably now best known for her work on television.
Life's a Beach
Perhaps the quintessential bikini photo, two women in string bikinis, or tangas, walk along Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema Beach in Brazil. To try and sum up the appeal of the bikini, TIME asked Dominic Smith, editor of U.K. men's magazine Nuts for an appraisal. "In the austere post war years mankind needed something to bring peace and happiness to the planet once more. That thing was the bikini. Its perfection of form and function ensured that once again, mankind was united in a single thought: phwoar! Happy 63rd birthday bikini — possibly the greatest, enjoyment giving invention of the 20th century."
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