On June 19 , 1964 , when Doda was 26 years old , the Condor 's publicist , " Big " Davy Rosenberg gave Doda a " monokini " topless swimsuit designed by Rudi Gernreich . She performed topless that night , the first noted entertainer of the era to do so . The act was an instant success . Two months after she started her semi-nude performances , the rest of San Francisco 's Broadway was topless , followed soon after by entertainers across America . Doda became an American cultural icon of the 1960s . The Republican National Convention was held in San Francisco , during the summer of 1964 ; many of the delegates came to see Carol Doda . She was profiled in Tom Wolfe 's 1968 book '' The Pump House Gang '' and appeared that same year as Sally Silicone in '' Head '' , the 1968 film created by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson , and featuring The Monkees . The movie was produced by Columbia Pictures . She appeared in a '' Golden Boy '' parody with Annette Funicello , Sonny Liston , and Davy Jones
Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
Carol Doda