The bikini was invented in 1946. I don’t really understand how it was “invented” in 1946. Could no one honestly figure this one out on their own? Anyway, the “inventor” named the swimsuit after Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear weapon tests earlier the same year. I was at the beach this weekend. As great as bikinis can be, there really is a fine line between a swimsuit and a weapon of mass destruction.