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July 5 1946 Bikini revealed: Louis Reard abbreviated two-piece swimwear design debuts in a fashion show held at Paris' Molitor Pool. Réard names his creation, cut from 30 square inches of fabric, after the recent nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll, explaining, "like the bomb, the bikini is small and devastating." 1962 Algeria gains independence: Much bloodshed bookends the occupation of Algeria, and the former colony is now independent after 132 years. The largest country in Africa was a valued territory for France, but growing unrest from a mostly Muslim populace leads to uprisings and a seven-year war for independence.