Top 10 fads of
the 1940s
10. The Debut of television
8. Slinky
9. The Bikini
The war halted production on the earliest television sets, but new technology and wealth enabled millions of households to purchase a TV by the end of the decade.
After rationing laws ordered the trimming of beachwear fabric by 10 percent, designers introduced two-piece suits that exposed the midriff but covered the navel. So the teenagers embraced the original version of the bikini.
Debuting at the famed Gimbel's Department Store during the 1945 Christmas season, the entire inventory of 400 Slinkys sold out in 90 minutes Fame.