Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Atomic Bombs and Two-Piece Swimsuits (Encore)

Episode Date: September 9, 2021

On the week of July 1, 1946, there were two explosions that shook the world. One was a physical explosion and the other was cultural. These two events, seemingly unrelated, are now linked forever due to the circumstances of that week. Learn more about what an atomic bomb test and a two-piece swimsuit have in common, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The following is an encore presentation of Everything Everywhere Daily. On the week of July 1, 1946, there were two explosions that shook the world. One was a physical explosion, and the other was cultural. These two events seemingly unrelated and on other sides of the globe are now linked forever due to the circumstances of that week. Learn more what an atomic bomb test and a two-piece swimsuit have in common on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Do you ever climb into bed ready to sleep only to have your mind start racing the moment your head hits the pillow? Thoughts bouncing around, replaying the day or jumping ahead to tomorrow? That is exactly why Catherine Nikolai created Nothing Much Happens.

Each episode is a gentle, cozy bedtime story where, well, nothing much happens. No drama, no tension, nothing you need to follow closely. Just soft narration, calming repetition, and soothing sensory details designed to help your mind slow down and your body relax. It's not about entertainment, it's about rest. And millions of listeners around the world use it every night to quiet their thoughts and finally fall asleep. If you've ever struggled to shut your brain off at night, this might be exactly what you've been missing. You can listen to Nothing Much Happens wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are every Monday and Thursday. This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream.

If you're listening to this podcast, you might have a very wide range of interest that might span the gamut from, oh, let's say, atomic bomb tests to the history of fashion. If you do have an eclectic curiosity like me, then you need to check out Curiosity Stream. They have over 2,500 documentaries that cover an enormous range of topics from history, culture, biology, physics, and mathematics. Prices start as low as $2.99 per month or $1999 for a full year. That is a whole year of programming for the cost of a month and a half of other major streaming services. If you love to learn, and let's face it, you do if you're listening to this show, then start your subscription by visiting everything-everwhere.com slash curiosity stream,

or by clicking on the link in the show notes. World War II had just ended the year before in 1945. While the war was over, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was just beginning. At this particular moment, the United States had a monopoly on atomic bombs. However, while they had managed to create and detonate several bombs, there was still a great deal they didn't know about this weapon. Only three atomic bombs had been detonated at this point. The original Trinity Test explosion in New Mexico,

the bomb used over Hiroshima and the one used over Nagasaki. All three of these were detonated over land. What no one knew was what would happen if these weapons were used in naval warfare. What would happen to ships which were hit with an atomic blast? Would they sink or would they float? People in the Navy had speculations, but no one had any proof. To this end, the U.S. Navy initiated Operation Crossroads. This was to be in a test of atomic weapons in naval warfare.

The Navy searched for a location where they could conduct. such a test. They needed somewhere remote, yet somewhere where they could set up a headquarters on land and have observation posts. They eventually settled on a remote coral atoll in the Pacific ocean in the Marshall Islands. The Navy moved the 167 people who lived on the island to other nearby islands so they could begin testing. They also sailed a fleet of 95 ships to the atoll, which would serve as target ships for the test. These were ships that were set for retirement in the scrapyard, and instead would be used for testing. They would get nuked. Facilities for over 40,000 people were constructed who would be there to support the tests.

They had to build everything from scratch. They built bunkers to observe the test. They built barracks, kitchens, offices, clubs for officers, and clubs for enlisted men. It was a massive undertaking and all done far away from prying eyes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. On July 1st, the first of these tests took place. It would be the fourth atomic bomb ever detonated and the first above water. The test was given the code name, Abel. It was dropped from a B-29 bomber and exploded approximately 500 feet above the surface.

It caused surprisingly little damage to the ships because the bombs were about a third of a mile or 600 meters off target. The next day, the news of this event spread around the world and everyone became familiar with this remote Pacific island, which was named Bikini. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the word bikini. I'm also sure that you realize that it has nothing to do with weapons or bombs. It's a name for women's two-piece swimsuit. So what does this island have to do with the name of a type of swimwear? Well, to understand that, we need to back up a bit and talk about something totally different from atomic testing. The woman's two-piece swimsuit is not a new invention.

There have been mosaics found in Roman villas that clearly have images of women wearing what we would call today a bikini. It was believed that the images were depicting women who were visiting Roman public baths. Once the Romans were gone, Christianity became predominant in Europe and modesty became all. the rage. By the 19th century, swimming costumes, as they were called, covered most of the body for both men and women. In fact, Victorians had wagons called bathing machines, where women would go to change, and then the wagon would go out into the water so no one would see them enter. By the 20th century, things were changing. The 1912 Olympics introduced women swimming as a sport, and in 1913, Carl Janssen, founder of the swimwear company of the same name, created the first functional

two-piece women swimsuit. It was mostly like a pair of shorts, the tight cut-off t-shirt as a top. Two-Pee swimsuits had come into popular fashion well before World War II. Celebrities like Ava Gardner, Esther Williams, Rita Hayworth, and Lana Turner all had popular photos taken with them in two-piece swimsuits that were very popular with the GIs during the war. So if two-piece swimsuits were already popular, then what was the big deal with a bikini? Well, in every example I mentioned above, the bottom part of the swimsuit covered up the navel. This was a really big deal. In May

1946, in France, fashion designer Jacques Heim introduced a new swimsuit he called the atom. This suit, however, still covered up the navel, and we don't have swimsuits today that we call Adams. Just a few weeks later, however, on July 5th, French automobile engineer-turned clothing designer Louis Riard introduced a new swimsuit. This swimsuit was the first one to expose the naval, which at the time was unheard of. He wanted to give his new product a name that was modern and reflected the explosion in fashion he wished to set off. In a moment of inspiration, he selected

the name which was in the news that week due to the American nuclear test in the Pacific. He dubbed his creation, Le Becini. Heim and Riard then began a marketing war. Heim hired a skywriter to fly over the French Riviera to spell out the world's smallest bathing suit. Reard, not to be outdone, then hired a skywriter to write out, quote, smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit. Reard actually applied for and received a patent for the bikini. One of the ad campaigns for the bikini said it was, quote, not a genuine bikini unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring. The reaction to the bikini was predictable. Many countries banned it. The Pope denounced it as sinful, and within 20 years no one cared anymore. It became popularized in the

1950s and early 60s by celebrities such as Bridget Bardot, Raquel Welch, Sophia Loren, and Ursula Andrews. When the song Itsy Bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini made it to number one in the billboard charts in 1960, the battle was over. Today, it's so non-controversial that it's the standard uniform for women who compete in beach volleyball. As for the island, which is its namesake, unfortunately bikini hasn't fared quite so well. There were a total of 67 nuclear devices which were dentistry. at Bikini Atoll between 1946 and 1958. The 167 people who were removed from the island never returned. Today, their descendants number over 4,000, and they are spread amongst the various

Marshall Islands. The United States has paid tens of millions of dollars to the people of bikini and has put millions more into a trust fund, which is still paying the descendants of those who were removed from the island. The island has been cleaned, and it is safe to visit, but no one wants to live there. The one thing you can't do is grow food on the island, because, you can't do, is grow food on the island because of the danger of Strontium-90 accumulating in the food. Oddly enough, the lack of people on the atoll over the last 75 years has made the coral there

exceptionally pure and in good health. In 2010, the bikini atoll was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's actually possible to visit, and there are a small number of divers who go there each year. If you go look at satellite images of bikini on Google Earth, you can still clearly see oddly round holes in the reef where bombs were detonated. So the next time you see or wear a bikini, think about the cultural explosion the design created, and also think of the physical explosions which impacted the island, which gave it its name. Executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is James Mackle. The associate producer is Thor Thompson. Remember to leave a five-star review to get your review read on the show. They can be left

at Apple Podcasts, Podcasts, Podcast, or wherever you listen to the show. Also, you can help support the show over at patreon.com. Patrons can get merchandise like t-shirts and hoodies, as well as having direct access to provide suggestions for future episodes.