| Winter is almost over. The warm weather
| |
| | It soon got its better name, which was
|
| is here. The beaches are calling. And
| |
| | the bikini.
|
| heeding the call is that fabled teeny
| |
| | Just three weeks after Heim began
|
| tiny piece of female attire known as the
| |
| | marketing his swimsuit, Louis Reard, a
|
| bikini. From the time of its inception
| |
| | mechanical engineer who had decided to
|
| in the 1950s to the present day, the
| |
| | dabble in swimsuit design, He also sent
|
| bikini is the most singular word spoken
| |
| | out skywriters over the French Riviera.
|
| in every language on the globe.
| |
| | The message these skywriters carried was
|
| The history of the bikini began long
| |
| | simple but powerful marketing:
|
| before the official introduction of the
| |
| | "Bikini-smaller than the smallest bathing
|
| swimsuit in the summer of 1946. It would
| |
| | suit in the world."
|
| have to wait until that momentous year of
| |
| | Perhaps due to Reard's obvious marketing
|
| 1946 before it would bear the name
| |
| | skills or a simple turn of fate, the name
|
| "bikini". Some historians believe that
| |
| | "bikini" became the official tag for the
|
| the two piece swimsuit may have been one
| |
| | two-piece swimsuit. The thunderous
|
| of the first public swimming costumes in
| |
| | impact of the two nuclear explosions
|
| existence. Drawing evidence from 300 A.D.
| |
| | certainly had more to say about the new
|
| Roman mosaics, historians point to this
| |
| | bathing suit. Life on Bikini Atoll would
|
| as the swimsuit of choice for ancient
| |
| | never be the same again. Life on every
|
| Roman women.
| |
| | beach and resort around the world would
|
| Where did the name "bikini" come from?
| |
| | never be the same, either.
|
| It all started with (you guessed it) the
| |
| | While sales of the bikini swim suit
|
| aftermath of World War II.
| |
| | soared to astronomical heights around the
|
| Bikini Atoll is located in the central
| |
| | world, the native Bikinians were living a
|
| Pacific. It is one of the 29 atolls and
| |
| | miserable existence. They were sickened
|
| 5 single islands that form the Republic
| |
| | by irradiation from Operation Crossroads,
|
| of the Marshall Islands. Bikini is
| |
| | no matter where they were resettled in
|
| perhaps best known for its role in a
| |
| | the Marshalls. It was now time for yet
|
| series of nuclear tests conducted by the
| |
| | another chapter in the Bikini Atoll
|
| United States in the 1940s and 1950s.
| |
| | tragedy. This was Operation Castle.
|
| Just prior to World War II, Bikini
| |
| | Operation Castle was a series of tests
|
| suddenly became strategic. The Bikini
| |
| | that would include the first
|
| islanders' peaceful life of harmony drew
| |
| | air-deliverable, and the most powerful
|
| to an abrupt close when the Japanese
| |
| | hydrogen bomb ever detonated by the
|
| decided to fortify Bikini Atoll to guard
| |
| | United States.
|
| against an American invasion of the
| |
| | Early in the morning on March 1, 1954,
|
| Marshalls. Throughout the conflict the
| |
| | the hydrogen bomb, code named Bravo, was
|
| Bikini station served as an outpost for
| |
| | detonated on the surface of the reef in
|
| the Japanese military headquarters in the
| |
| | the northwestern corner of Bikini Atoll.
|
| Marshall Islands,
| |
| | The area was illuminated by a huge and
|
| However, Bikini became a quiet Japanese
| |
| | expanding flash of blinding light. A
|
| stronghold whose garrison spent the war
| |
| | raging fireball of intense heat that
|
| gathering flowers. American naval
| |
| | measured into the millions of degrees
|
| strategy used submarines and aircraft
| |
| | shot skyward at a rate of 300 miles an
|
| carriers to leapfrog over such islands
| |
| | hour. Within minutes the monstrous cloud,
|
| and carry the war to Japan.
| |
| | filled with nuclear debris, shot up more
|
| World War II came to a formal end in
| |
| | than 20 miles and generated winds
|
| September 1945 with the detonation of
| |
| | hundreds of miles per hour. These fiery
|
| nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and
| |
| | gusts blasted the surrounding islands and
|
| Nagasaki. It would now be Bikini's turn
| |
| | stripped the branches and coconuts from
|
| to face the aftermath of World War II.
| |
| | the trees.
|
| The developers of the two piece bathing
| |
| | Millions of tons of sand, coral, plant
|
| suit had still not given it a name. Soon
| |
| | and sea life from Bikini's reef, from
|
| they would have an outstanding name for
| |
| | three islands [Bokonijien, Aerokojlol,
|
| their creation.
| |
| | Nam] and the surrounding lagoon waters
|
| Because of its location away from regular
| |
| | were sent high into the air by the blast.
|
| air and sea routes, Bikini Atoll was
| |
| | Three to four hours after the blast,
|
| chosen to be the new nuclear proving
| |
| | white, snow-like ash began to fall from
|
| ground for the United States Government.
| |
| | the sky virtually everywhere.
|
| While the 167 Bikinians were getting
| |
| | Bravo was a thousand times more powerful
|
| ready for their exodus, preparations for
| |
| | than the Fat Man and Little Boy atomic
|
| the U.S. nuclear testing program advanced
| |
| | bombs that were dropped on Nagasaki and
|
| rapidly. Few people would think the
| |
| | Hiroshima during the end of World War II.
|
| Bikinians were terribly interested in the
| |
| | Its "success" was beyond the wildest
|
| development of the nuclear bomb or the
| |
| | dreams of the American scientists who
|
| two piece bathing suit in 1946. Their
| |
| | were involved in the detonation--they
|
| interests were simply that of survival.
| |
| | thought that the blast would only carry a
|
| They were faced with finding food,
| |
| | payload of approximately 3 megatons.
|
| raising families and maintaining their
| |
| | Not understanding what was happening, the
|
| culture. They could barely understand
| |
| | Rongelapese watched as two suns rose that
|
| the progression of events set in motion
| |
| | morning. They observed with amazement as
|
| by the Cold War. Events that happened in
| |
| | the radioactive dust soon formed a layer
|
| Washington and Moscow were for the most
| |
| | on their island two inches deep. The
|
| part out of their control. The residents
| |
| | fallout turned everything into a state of
|
| of Bikini Atoll were not about to model
| |
| | terrified panic.
|
| swimwear, either.
| |
| | The people had received no explanations
|
| The nuclear legacy of the Bikinians thus
| |
| | or warnings whatsoever from the United
|
| began in March of 1946 when they were
| |
| | States Government. Two days after the
|
| first removed from their islands in
| |
| | test the people of Rongelap were finally
|
| preparation for Operation Crossroads. The
| |
| | taken to Kwajalein for medical treatment.
|
| history of the Bikinian people from that
| |
| | On Bikini Atoll the radiation levels
|
| day forward has been a story of their
| |
| | increased dramatically. In late March
|
| struggle to exist in the midst of Cold
| |
| | following the Bravo test, the off-limit
|
| War issues.
| |
| | zones were expanded to include the
|
| Operation Crossroads was an atmospheric
| |
| | inhabited atolls of Rongerik, Utirik,
|
| nuclear weapon test series conducted in
| |
| | Ujelang and Likiep. It is startling to
|
| July 1946. The series consisted of two
| |
| | note that none of these islanders were
|
| detonations, each with a yield of 23
| |
| | evacuated prior to this blast or even
|
| kilotons. The two atomic bomb blasts of
| |
| | before the subsequent nuclear weapons
|
| Operation Crossroads were both about the
| |
| | tests. In the spring of 1954, Bikar,
|
| size of the nuclear bomb dropped on
| |
| | Ailinginae, Rongelap, Rongerik, were all
|
| Nagasaki, Japan. These were the first
| |
| | contaminated by the Yankee and Union
|
| nuclear tests held in the Marshall
| |
| | weapons tests which were detonated on
|
| Islands.
| |
| | Bikini Atoll.
|
| In preparation for Operation Crossroads,
| |
| | Between 1957 and 2007, the problems
|
| the Bikinians were sent 125 miles
| |
| | subsided but the memories and the long
|
| eastward to Rongerik Atoll. Within two
| |
| | range effects of radiation did not go
|
| months after their arrival on Rongerik,
| |
| | away. There was no further nuclear
|
| they began to beg U.S. officials to move
| |
| | testing except for a test conducted in
|
| them back to Bikini.
| |
| | New Caledonia by the French in the late
|
| Meanwhile, the official history of the
| |
| | 1980s. The Soviet Union faded into
|
| bikini swimwear also began in the summer
| |
| | history and the Russian Federation did
|
| of 1946. Almost immediately after
| |
| | not resume nuclear testing of any type.
|
| Operation Crossroads, Jacques Heim, a
| |
| | With countries such as India, Pakistan,
|
| fashion designer and beach shop owner in
| |
| | and North Korea still on the loose,
|
| the French resort town of Cannes,
| |
| | nuclear weaponry continues to be a
|
| introduced his swimsuit creation, the
| |
| | threat.
|
| "Atome," The swimsuit was named after
| |
| | The name "bikini" will never pass from
|
| the two atomic bombs that were set off in
| |
| | our vocabulary. It is now 50 years since
|
| Bikini lagoon.
| |
| | Bravo was tested. It is very doubtful
|
| Heim intended to sell his swimsuit in his
| |
| | that those living today will remember the
|
| beach shop. To drum up business and
| |
| | horrifying message left in Bikini Lagoon
|
| increase awareness of the new swimsuit,
| |
| | with the Bravo test. It is well that
|
| Heim sent skywriters high above the
| |
| | only the name of the bathing suit
|
| Cannes sky, proclaiming the new Atome to
| |
| | "bikini" remains.
|
| be "the world's smallest bathing suit."
| |
| |
|
