The earliest recorded uses of the term in English are by British soldiers during the First World War to refer to lice; the term was brought to America in the 1950s by military personnel coming back from service alongside the British in the South Pacific.
The earliest recorded uses of the term in English are by British soldiers during the First World War to refer to lice. In addition to the cooties games, the cooties term was popularised in America in the 1950s by military personnel coming back from service alongside the British in the South Pacific.