Think bikinis are modern? Think again!

Ancient Greek and Roman women wore bikini-like outfits during athletic and dance activities. A stunning mosaic at the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily shows them in action. These garments weren’t for swimming or tanning – they were for sports!

With the rise of Christianity, the bikini disappeared for centuries. It wasn’t until the 20th century that it made a bold comeback.

In the 1900s, swimmer Annette Kellerman was arrested in Boston for wearing a sleeveless, legless swimsuit.

Then in the 1940s, designer Jacques Heim introduced a tiny two-piece called the Atome (Atom).

So why is it called bikini?

Louis Réard shrank it even further, naming it the bikini after the Pacific atoll where atomic tests were being conducted. He hoped the new swimsuit would make an impact as powerful as a bomb!