Where did New Wave band The B-52's get their name?

The B-52's got their name from a beehive hairdo resembling the nose cone of a Boeing B-52 bomber.

Band members Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson wore the tall, teased hairstyle, which was especially associated with 1960s fashion. The visual resemblance between the hairdo and the bomber's rounded nose inspired the band's distinctive name.

The group formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976 after an impromptu jam session involving Fred Schneider, Ricky Wilson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and Kate Pierson. Although the name sounds military, it was chosen for its hairstyle connection rather than because the band had an aviation theme.

The beehive itself was developed in 1960 by Chicago hairdresser Margaret Vinci Heldt and became a signature look of the decade. The B-52's later helped turn that retro style into part of their own flamboyant new-wave image.