Half a century ago, on April 23, 1976, punk began when the first punk album was released.

Okay, relax. Put down that addressed-to-CREEM envelope full of white powder. We barely open our emails, let alone check the PO box. So, before you decide to go full Halsey on our basementdwelling asses, just hear us out.

Don’t think that saying punk began with the Ramones’ first album doesn’t break our hearts as well. According to the Shakespeare/ punk scholars Zoë Wilcox, Andy Linehan, and Stephen Cleary, the first recorded usage of the word was in a ballad, “Simon the Old Kinge,” which contained the following: [Extreme Mark E. Smith voice] “Soe fellowes, if you be drunke, of ffrailtye itt is a sinne, as itt is to keepe a puncke.” As the line was a warning about how drinking was as bad as whoremongering, we know two things:

First off: Ol' Simon couldn’t spell for sshitte.

Secondly: As early as 1575, punk was cool as hell.