The History of the Bikini

Life's a Beach
Perhaps the quintessential bikini photo, two women in string bikinis, or tangas, walk along Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema Beach in Brazil. To try to sum up the appeal of the bikini, TIME asked Dominic Smith, editor of U.K. men's magazine Nuts for an appraisal: "In the austere postwar years, mankind needed something to bring peace and happiness to the planet once more. That thing was the bikini. Its perfection of form and function ensured that once again, mankind was united in a single thought: phwoar! Happy 63rd birthday, bikini — possibly the greatest enjoyment-giving invention of the 20th century."

• The Evolution of the Bikini