To many of us SPAM refers to junk emails or unwanted communication. Many people are more familiar with this connotation than the canned meat for which it was named that was developed in 1926 by Jay Hormel, son of company founder George Hormel. His first canned ham was Hormel Flavor-Sealed Ham and eleven years later he further developed the product so it did not need refrigeration. It was a chopped pork shoulder and ham combination and was marketed as Hormel Spiced Ham which was not a catchy name, especially for a product that would be integral in the worlds diets and wars.

The Spiced Ham got a lot of competition from other companies who introduced their own canned meats. Hormel devised a plan to give their product a catchy name and offered a cash prize to the best name and the winner was SPAM. It was promoted heavily during 1937 and was offered as an anytime product not just for lunch. They were a sponsor of the George Burns and Gracie Allen radio program and created the character Spammy the Pig. But sales really took off during WWII since it was great for the military because it required no refrigeration. It also was not rationed as beef products were so it became a popular meal staple. Russian Premier Nikita Kruschev actually credited SPAM with helping his armies survive during WWII.

During the 1950s SPAM was marketed by a group of Hormel Girls who distributed the product door to door and performed on the radio as well and as at events around the country. SPAM was sold in 12 ounce cans but was introduced as a smaller 7 ounce can in 1960 and they began to offer a variety of different flavors. In 1970 they introduced Smoke Flavored SPAM and offered a low sodium version in the mid-1980s. Other versions include SPAM-lite, SPAM Breakfast Strips, and Turkey SPAM.

The next time you receive an email or unwanted internet pop-up and refer to it as spam, remember that it was named after one of the most versatile canned meat products in the world that was instrumental in American life as we know it.

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