In the spirit of women hitting the beach this summer, soaking in some rays in a certain scantilly piece of clothing, we’ve decided to delve a little deeper and find its roots to add to your register of insightful poolside conversation.

While two-piece bathing suits had been worn on the beach before, the modern bikini was invented by French automobile engineer Louis Réard in 1946, trying to make the ‘smallest swimsuit in the world’. It was named after Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, the site of American nuclear testing in July that year (photo), because of the explosive excitement he expected it to cause.

Réard couldn’t find a girl who would dare to wear his invention, eventually finding Micheline Bernardini, a 19-year-old exotic dancer from the Casino de Paris as his model. It was a string bikini with newspaper type printed across that was officially introduced on 5 July 1946 at a fashion event at Piscine Molitor in the 16th, a popular public pool in Paris at the time. Click to see photos of it: then and now.

The bikini was a huge hit in France, while elsewhere it would be held as scandalous for much time to come.