re: "Babes from days gone by (NSFW)" thread as per request by Kafka..

The first modern bikini was introduced on July 5, 1946, by French mechanical engineer and designer Louis Réard. He named it after the Bikini Atoll, where the U.S. had conducted atomic weapon tests just days before, because he predicted it would cause a similar explosive reaction. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini was the first to model the two-piece swimsuit, as other professional models refused because of its revealing nature. We should declare July 5 a day of celebration on the O-T. He was an engineer - I was not a fashion designer by profession, but if you gave me a pair of scissors I could quickly become one.