The brainy protagonists featured in the hit CBS show, The Big Bang Theory, were an example of nerd culture on TV. “So if Dr. Seuss did coin the word ‘nerd,’ he’s probably going off other words like nert — which was around — or nuts,” Aleksic said. '”One year after its use by Seuss, nerd popped up in a 1951 Newsweek article describing modern slang. But around the end of the 20th century, nerd culture assumed a more respected spot in American culture. The popularization of nerd culture has also dovetailed with an expanded definition of the word itself.