Current location:health >>
VOX POPULI: Radiation lingers even 70 years after H
health5362People have gathered around
IntroductionHow did the word “bikini” come to denote a two-piece swimsuit?On July 1, 1946, almost one year after ...
How did the word “bikini” come to denote a two-piece swimsuit?
On July 1, 1946, almost one year after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the United States started conducting nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Four days later, a swimsuit contest was held in Paris, introducing the latest designs that couldn’t get any skimpier.
A French fashion designer, whose attention at the time was focused on the news from the Pacific, decided to call his new creation the bikini because he keenly sensed “how fascinated people around the world were (by the U.S. nuclear testing),” according to “The Untold History of the United States,” co-authored by film director Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick.
The designer’s lack of sensitivity appalls me.
Back then, however, Europeans and Americans held positive images of nuclear bombs, such as about their novelty and strength.
A U.S. newspaper ran a photo of a cake shaped like a mushroom cloud. And there were snacks and sweets that bore nuclear-related names.
Nuclear tests continued in the Marshall Islands.
On March 1, 1954--exactly 70 years ago--the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb was detonated.
The flippancy of the bomb’s name greatly offends me.
Many islanders suffered from the nuclear fallout. In fact, radiation damage has lingered to this day.
This reminds me anew that Japan is not the only country that has experienced nuclear damage.
How horrific nuclear bombs are. To also share our thoughts toward abolition of nuclear weapons widely throughout the world, we must not forget the tragic history that occurred on the distant Pacific islands.
The Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5), the Japanese tuna boat that was exposed to nuclear fallout from the Castle Bravo test, is still on display on Yumenoshima (literally, dream island), an artificial island built in Tokyo Bay.
And posted around the vessel’s white hull are 12 photographs of stern-eyed “global hibakusha.”
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 1
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Current news portal”。http://honduras.fightbigfood.org/news-029b099970.html
Related articles
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons
healthWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland l ...
【health】
Read moreKevin Kelsey scores first MLS goal to help Cincinnati beat Crew 2
healthCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Kelsy scored his first MLS goals, Luciano Acosta added a goal and an ass ...
【health】
Read moreChinese yuan weakens to 7.1028 against USD Thursday
healthBEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, we ...
【health】
Read more
Popular articles
- The unstoppable duo of Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos
- Man found dead after Ohio movie theater shooting. Person considered suspect is arrested
- Bryson Stott's bases
- Outbound travel boom mirrors China's consumption vibrancy
- Insider Q&A: CIA's chief technologist's cautious embrace of generative AI
- What to expect in Nebraska's presidential and state primaries
Latest articles
Children are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email
Lithuania elections: Lithuanians vote as anxieties rise over Russia and Ukraine war
Real Madrid rests starters in 4
In progressive Argentina, the LGBTQ+ community says Milei has turned back the clock
Six killed in a 'foiled coup' in Congo, the army says
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Princess Beatrice's pal Alice Naylor
LINKS
- Solomon Islands election to test pro
- Reggie Yates' fans send heartfelt congratulations after he delightedly shares baby news
- Messi's message 'won't easily' repair his image
- India dubs U.S. statement on new citizenship law as unwarranted
- Scotland's Lewis Ferguson out of Euro 2024 after injuring knee while playing for Bologna
- An ocean of opportunity
- Lawsuit asks Wisconsin Supreme Court to strike down governor's 400
- Union settles extended strike with Pittsburgh newspaper, while journalists, other unions remain out
- Terracotta Warriors museum sees over 100,000 visits during holiday
- Cambodia's famed Angkor attracts nearly 540,000 int'l tourists in first 9 months