Inventions From The Island Nations Of The Pacific Ocean
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Posted by Bruce Iliff Nov 19, 2008 |
I recently posted a couple of water sports articles on Suite101 providing the history of sports that had their origin in the
While researching, I was surprised to learn of the sports and western traditions that emerged from the islands of the
For example, primitive bungee jumping started thousands of years ago on the
The surfing scene and the bikini are almost complementary and the Pacific had a small part to play in this invention that liberated beach fashion. The bikini was designed by French engineer Louis Reard. He unveiled the tiny twin slips of material at a Paris fashion show on July 5, 1946; just four days after the first peacetime test of an atomic bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. Reard thought this an appropriate name for his creation as in the same way the atomic bomb had exploded, there wasn't much left of the original swimsuit after he had finished!
In the early 1940s, the World War Two raged through the South Pacific as the Allies tried to halt the Japanese forces. Apart from the land battles, such as the Kokoda Track, much of the fighting was carried out in the seas with many ships and planes sunk during the war. These underwater war relics have now become a mecca for scuba divers.
Has the Pacific more to offer the world? Could other traditions, rituals and customs be westernised in the future? Only time will tell.