Réard debuted the swimsuit in 1946, just days after the US conducted peacetime nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, hoping the design would cause a cultural shockwave.

The Hays Code strictly governed on-screen morality from 1934 to 1968, famously forcing actresses to wear high-waisted two-pieces that hid their navels.

The original 1946 design was composed of merely 30 square inches of fabric, allowing it to easily fold into a standard commercial matchbox.

Earlier swimsuits were typically made of wool or cotton, which absorbed heavy amounts of water and quickly lost their tight shape upon getting wet.