The Origins of Spam: How One Comedy Sketch Destroyed Email Forever
- Danielle Mundy
- 32 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Your inbox is under siege, and the culprit is . . . a 1970s comedy sketch.
Before it overwhelmed inboxes, what we now see as a daily nuisance first overwhelmed the viewers of a Monty Python skit—and poor, irritated Mrs. Bun.
The Origins of Spam Began with a Canned Meat Product and a Viking Chorus
Spam didn’t start out as a scam.
It started out as a joke.
A loud, repetitive, impossible-to-escape joke involving a disgruntled waitress, Vikings singing a parody, and an ultra-processed canned meat product.
All things considered, Monty Python, a groundbreaking British comedy troupe, introduced spam to the world in a rather vexing way.
How fitting.
A Monty Python Sketch and The Origins of Spam
The three-minute sketch opens in the dining area of the fictional Green Midget Café, where an argument emerges over the Spam-filled menu.
The waitress, played by Monty Python member Terry Jones, begins listing off all available options, most of which involve, you guessed it, Spam.
The menu included egg and spam, egg bacon and spam, egg bacon sausage and spam, spam bacon sausage and spam, spam egg with spam bacon and spam, spam spam spam egg and spam, spam spam, spam, spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam and spam, and more spam.
Reading this feels excessive.
That’s the point.
That long-winded paragraph should give you a good idea of why the origins of spam are so closely tied to this comedy sketch.
Mrs. Bun was quite bothered (understandably so) by the perpetuity of Spam, screaming that there must be something on the menu without Spam in it, all while a table full of Vikings chants, “Spam, Spam, Spam . . . Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam!”
Spam, Spam, and More Spam
The word “spam” was mentioned over 100 times in that skit. And so far in this blog, it’s been mentioned 41 times.
Pretty annoying.
But those numbers are nothing compared to the 160 billion or so spam emails that are sent to people’s inboxes every day.
And exactly why the origins of spam matter.
Why Is It Called Spam Email?
So, why is it called spam email?
It’s called spam email because of how overpowering and unavoidable these unwanted messages are.
The Origins of Spam and the Makings of Early Internet Culture
Early tech wasn’t always polished or corporate. It was playful, nerdy, and heavily influenced by pop culture and history.
And surprisingly, Vikings, out of all people, have had a lot of say about it.
Monty Python’s fictional Vikings unified the internet in mutual frustration, and a real Viking, King Harald Bluetooth, united both nations and technology.
Both became universal experiences. Proof that Vikings know how to bring people together—not tear them apart. . . .
Now, we're not trying to point any fingers, but while the Vikings did have a significant role in the origins of spam, we can also thank one oblivious marketer.
Of course. No internet problem is complete without marketing getting involved.
The First Known Spam Email
The first known spam email (though not yet called email at the time) was sent by Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager, who sent nearly 400 people an email about a new computer model from his company in 1978.
This spam email is estimated to have generated nearly $13 million for the company. As you can imagine, the response was widely negative. But nevertheless, it was profitable. . . .
Thuerk had no idea what sort of monster he’d unleashed on the world, but he got a clue when he received a call from a representative of ARPANET (which preceded the internet).
“He made me promise to never do it again,” said Thuerk about the email. And for a little while, there were no more spam emails.
Key words: a little while.
That did not last long.
In no uncertain terms, Pandora’s Box had been opened. Now it was time to deal with the consequences.
Spam: A Timeline
1994: The first large-scale intentional spam occurred when a message with the subject line “Global Alert for All: Jesus is Coming Soon” was cross-posted to all USENET newsgroups, sparking widespread debate.
1996: The Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) was founded to provide anti-spam support. Later, a blacklist was created that allowed email servers to block spam sources.
2002: Spam is now a problem and topic of discussion. A paper titled “A Plan for Spam” by Paul Graham was published, discussing a spam-filtering technique. Variants of said technique were implemented into multiple products.
2003: The 2003 CAN-SPAM Act was signed into law by then-President George W. Bush. This established the first nationally enforced standards for sending commercial emails in the United States.
2004: Microsoft’s Bill Gates announced that “spam will soon be a thing of the past.” He was wrong.
2005: Authorities are arresting people for sending malicious spam emails, showing growing enforcement. For example, David Levi of England was sentenced to prison for conspiracy to defraud by sending emails pretending to be from eBay.
2007: Spam has grown exponentially in gravity and scale. Two men were sentenced to eight counts, including conspiracy, fraud, money laundering, and transportation of inappropriate materials. This prosecution was the first under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
Suffice to say, spam isn't going anywhere.
How to Recognize Spam
There are a few key indicators of spam email:
Suspicious sender address: montyPyth0n69@spamemail.com. Need we say more?
Generic greeting: If the greeting is generic, like “Good sir,” it may not be legit.
Poor spelling and grammar: If it reads like someone hitting coconuts together, be wary.
Sense of urgency or threats: Don’t allow an onslaught of “Ni’s!” to terrify you into finding a shrubbery.
Suspicious links or attachments: These are rarely the path that leads to Camelot.
Requests for sensitive information: No legitimate organization will demand information, even if it claims to be part of the Round Table.
Too good to be true offers: If it promises untold riches, it’s probably spam.
It’s important to remember that not all spam emails are phishing emails. While they are both annoying, phishing emails are what make the unavoidable dangerous.
If you suspect an email is spam, avoid replying to the message and report the email.
Final Thoughts on the Origins of Spam
What began as a joke about overused canned meat has become a defining term in modern communication.
And every morning, day after day, when you open your inbox, you’re part of the same joke—whether you like it or not.
Lovely spam. Wonderful spam.
Unavoidable spam.
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Danielle Mundy is a Content Marketing Specialist for Tier 3 Technology. She graduated magna cum laude from Iowa State University, where she worked on the English Department magazine and social media. She creates engaging multichannel marketing content—from social media posts to white papers.