But prudish prohibitions were no match for the power of celebrity. Six years after Bernardini was the first woman in a bikini, Brigitte Bardot made The Girl in the Bikini. Pop singer Brian Hyland sang Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini in 1960. And in 1962, the original Bond girl, Ursula Andress, strode from the surf in a bikini with a knife holstered on her hip. There was no stopping the bikini taking off after that.

Source: July 5 in history: World’s first bikini is unveiled in Paris