From ridicule to ubiquity, the bikini has come a long way over the past 65 years.

It was on this date in 1946 that French fashion designer Louis Réard hired a nude dancer to sport his two-piece creation after the runway models he approached refused to wear it.

But despite provoking controversy -- centering around everything from morality to skin cancer to liposuction -- it is clear that the teenie weenie suit is here to stay.