Internet spam celebrates 40 years
The first spam message on the Internet was sent in 1978, and then the annoying advertising online Thursday marks 40 years. What promoted the first spammers as canned meat gave this phenomenon its name — in the article “Газеты.Ru”.
Forty years together
Every year on 3 may, the world celebrated the birthday of Internet spam — Intrusive emails that are sent to recipients without their consent. The first spam was sent exactly 40 years ago by DEC, which was engaged in the manufacture of electronics.
So DEC wanted to advertise the start of sales of its new mini-computers.
The advertising message, the addressees of which were 400 people, was sent via the Arpanet network — the prototype of the modern Internet created by the U.S. Department of defense.
It is not known whether the now-defunct company to increase their sales, but this list from the late 70-ies of XX century was the harbinger of this disaster, when after twenty years the Internet has filled billions of e-mails that advertise certain goods and services.
Canning spam
It is not easy to believe, but the word “spam”, implying Intrusive online newsletter, has its roots in 1936 when the U.S. market appeared first canned meat company Hormel Foods Corporation, which are called “SPAM”.
The title was the hidden acronym that stood for “SPiced hAM” (eng. “prosciutto”). According to others, these four letters stood for “Shoulder of Pork and hAM” (eng. “pork shoulder and ham”).
During world war II, SPAM became the main substitute for meat issued to the soldiers in large quantities and are relatively freely sold in the rear. After the war, these cans are losing popularity, which led to the start of large-scale advertising company — SPAM sold everywhere, banners with the image of cans were placed on public transport and billboards. In addition, SPAM is constantly broadcast on radio and published in Newspapers.
The extent of promotion SPAM was immortalized in a humorous sketch by the British comedians from “Monty Python”. In the story, two people come to the cafe and ask what is on the menu. The waitress lists the dishes, each of which somehow contains in itself a popular canned food.
During the download an error has occurred.
The sketch ends with a praise song, which consists only of the word “SPAM”. In total in three minutes the word was uttered 108 times.
Hormel Foods Corporation has not objected to this scene from the Monty Python sketch, but the sketch soon went to “the people” that ultimately led to litigation.
In the 80’s, the Internet began to appear advertisers, which prevented users to communicate, scoring counterparts chat your messages promoting goods.
This is continuously duplicated and badly got on my nerves.
The result was the expression “sasamat”, that is, to flood the dialogues are monotonous messages.
Hormel Foods Corporation didn’t like new value, and they filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer of anti-spam software. The latter managed to win the case, the word “spam” became a household word, and the scope of its use permanently moved to the Internet.
Spam — friend cheater