How Did the Term "Spam" Originate?

Spam is a pinkish luncheon meat that comes in a can. It is made by Hormel and is often considered to have "no nutritive or aesthetic value." Why the word "spam" has been adopted as the term to identify unsolicited email (much to the chagrin of Hormel), is a matter of some dispute.

The most widely adopted explanation, is that the term got its origins from a famous Monty Python sketch entitled "Spam-Loving Vikings." In this sketch, the vikings are situated in a restaurant whose menu items include only dishes that are made with spam. The vikings (obviously thrilled with this) eternally sing the refrain "Spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam" increasing in volume each time. The repetative, obnoxious, and useless nature of this song can easily be compared to that of unsolicited internet messages, and hence, to our contemporary definition of "spam."

The first such instance of internet spam supposedly occured as a practical joke in the MUD/MUSH community. An account of the alleged incident can be found here.