History of swimsuits

History of Swimsuit

http://www.answers.com/topic/swimsuit-1

1. Although swimming is not a natural human ability, people have been drawn to water since ancient times. The Romans built the first swimming pools and by the first century B.C. had even created a heated pool. In Japan during this period swimming events were common. Europeans were slower to come to the sport because of awidespread fear of infections carried from other bathers through the water. However, by the mid-nineteenth century, a number of swimming organizations were founded, particularly in London.

2. In the 1930s, sunbathing became a popular pastime. Women's styles began to feature lower-cut backs and armholes to allow more exposure to the sun. Jantzen introduced the Shouldaire model with a drawstringsewn above the bustline that allowed the wearer to lower the shoulder straps for better suntan coverage. It was also in the 1930s that women's midriffs were exposed for the first time; in cutouts and eventually in two-piece swimsuits.

3. In 1939, E. I. duPont de Nemours & Company developed a nylon called 6.6 polymer that revolutionized the manmade materials industry.

4. The nextmajor highlight in the history of the swimsuit occurred in 1946 when the bikini, a two-piece suit for women, was introduced in Paris. Supposedly named for the Pacific atoll where atomic bomb experiments were conducted, the bikini caused a furor. Although immediately popular on European beaches, the bikini was not worn in the United States until the 1960s.

5. In 1977, designer Rudi Geinrich'sthong bikini, which features a mere strap on the rear portion of the suit bottom, hit the beaches of Brazil. It also remains a popular style around the world, but is often considered controversial on American beaches.

http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/ss/swimsuit_6.htm
1. The first swimsuits were of course no swimsuits at all. People have always gone swimming in the nude or inany clothing appropriate for swimming such as loin cloths. It was not until the 18th century that "swimsuits" were invented mostly for the purpose of hiding the human body according to the morality of the times.

2. Around 1855, swimsuits consisted of bloomers and black stockings.

3. The photo above depicts a group of people, in swimsuits, standing on a beach and was taken between1915 and 1930. You can see how the women's bathing suit is. The arms are now exposed and black is no longer the color. The woman on the right and the men are wearing the newer tank suits that developed during the 1920s.

4. The bikini was reinvented in 1946 by Jacques Heim and Louis Reard.

5. Most swimsuits are not patented as they fall under copyright law. However, there are patentsthat have been issued for innovative swimsuits. Carol Wior patented the Slimsuit, a women's swimsuit that was guaranteed to take an inch or more off the waist or tummy and look natural.

http://www.ehow.com/about_4570229_who-invented-bathing-suit.html

1. While many cultures have accepted swimming or sunbathing nude or wearing ordinary clothing at various times, Roman woman often woretwo-piece bathing suits, quite similar to modern bikinis, to the public baths.

2. The bathing suit then fell out of fashion until the Victorian era, when bathing suits that covered as much of the body as possible became popular beach wear. Women's bathing dresses included stockings, hats and sleeves, and were made from woolen materials that became heavy when wet.

3. In 1910, Carl Jantzen,John Zehntbauer and C.R. Zehntbauer founded what later became the Jantzen bathing suit company and invented a simple two-piece wool outfit that was originally used for rowing in cold weather.

4. Various designers began to make more practical bathing suits from knits or cotton in the early 1900s, and by the 1920s, both men and women often wore one-piece suits.

5. Number of people made...