Spam is Invented (PCGH-Retro, July 05)

… 1937: The marketing executives at Hormel Foods Corporation are thinking of new ways to address the waning popularity of their homemade “Hormel Spiced Ham.” A rebranding is the result and the name is determined with the help of a competition: “Spam” wins! Officially it is not known whether the word (or the abbreviation?) spam has any meaning, unofficially the interpretation ranges from a portmanteau for the original product to “Something Posing As Meat” to “Special Product of Austin Minnesota” (the home of the Spam canned ham.)

However, the word is now used more as a synonym for mass, unwanted advertising by email and most people are more likely to be familiar with it in this context. Incidentally, the new definition of the term spam began on May 3rd and was based on a musical skit by the well-known comedy group Monty Python.