Tech History: The (Annoying) Origins of Spam Email

Before your inbox was flooded with offers for miracle pills and mystery princes, there was one email that started it all.

The first spam email was sent on May 3, 1978, by a marketer at Digital Equipment Corporation. It went out to 393 ARPANET users (the early version of the internet) and promoted a computer demo. The reaction? Instant backlash. The recipients weren’t impressed—and a new era of digital annoyance was born.

The term “spam” itself comes from a Monty Python sketch, where a group of Vikings drowns out conversation by loudly chanting "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM!" Over time, the word became synonymous with unwanted, repetitive messages.

Since then, spam has exploded—accounting for nearly half of all global email traffic at its peak. Fortunately, filters have come a long way, but spam still finds ways to sneak through.

So next time you clear out your junk folder, remember: it all started with one overzealous marketer and a very bad idea.