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