13 Accomplishments in the History of Vulgarity

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13 Accomplishments in the History of Vulgarity

Kevin Armstrong/Wiki Commons, ABC

We’re guessing the first words ever spoken weren’t curse words, but to properly convey strong emotions, naughty words must’ve come soon after. Were those strong words considered “bad words”? We might never know, but over the centuries, you best believe some of our rowdier ancestors were all about them, and our pious ones… Not so much. We know that the first “swear words” appeared in English writing just before the 15th century, but we’re pretty sure it didn’t have a “parental advisory” sticker slapped on it. Think of that innocent, impressional little lad who stumbled upon that smut. Tisk tisk.

It’s just so hard to believe that as late as the 1980s, people were getting arrested for obscenity in the United States of America! Isn’t free speech a cornerstone of the country’s philosophy? We won’t get into that whole messy debate right now. Today, we’re just here to celebrate cuss words, obscenity, and overall lewd behavior with these 13 accomplishments in the history of vulgarity.

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Over a decade before albums got those “parental advisory” stickers.

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY The first TV show with a warning label In 1975, because of controversial characters like prostitutes, illegal immigrants, and one of the first gay couples on TV, the Norman Lear show Hot I Baltimore was the first TV show to be slapped with a warning label before each episode.

ABC

MeTV

Damnnnn, you spicy little jackasses.

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY The first audible curse words in film The 1929 Paramount film Glorifying the American Girl has the first curse words in cinema history. They say damn six times, and jackass twice.

Paramount Pictures

Swegz/YouTube

Every once in a while, we want to shout it too!

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY The first F-word in film The 1967 British film Ulysses was released in the U.K. and the U.S. Actress Barbara Jefford (who plays Molly Bloom) says, O Lord, I wanted to shout out all sorts of things, f*** or sh** or anything at all only not to look ugly...

Ulysses Film Production

Taste of Cinema

Those polite Canucks can cuss with the best of ’em.

CRACKED V RNE VULGARITY HISTORY The most curse words in a movie The honor usually goes to The Wolf of Wall Street because of its popularity in the U.S. But its 715 curse words (569 F- bombs) is overshadowed by 935 F-bombs in the 2014 Canadian film Swearnet.

Swearnet Pictures

Collider

You’d think X ratings would strictly be for porno flicks, but here we are.

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY - DE The first ever X and R ratings Brian De Palma's 1968 film Greetings was slapped with the first ever X rating. Не cut some sexual content to be downgraded to an R rating, but Gordon Flemyng's film The Split was the first ever R rated movie (released one month before Greetings).

West End Films

Far Out Magazine

Well, it does happen.

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY The first scripted curse word on Network TV Yes, SNL and other live broadcasts accidentally cussed here and there, but the 1999 CBS show Chicago Hope dropped the first-ever scripted curse word. Mark Harmon (Dr. Jack McNeil) utters the phrase, s**t happens.

CBS

MeTV

Speaking of SNL and F bombs…

CRACKED VULGARITY HISTORY The first F-bomb on SNL Letterman's bandleader Paul Schaffer was an SNL cast member in 1980, and is credited with the show's first F-bomb. During the show's 100th episode, he was meant to say the word flogging, but well, you know...

NBC

The Wrap

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