Spam turned 80 years old on July 5, 2017. It's had a massively long history, says the Smithsonian, and it all started with a naming contest where Hormel asked the public just what they should call their new product. The answer came from a man named Kenneth Daigneau, and there's a "but." Sure, he's the one credited for naming Spam, but he was also a bit of an insider: he was the brother of Hormel's vice president. It's impossible to say whether or not that had anything to do with it, but regardless, we have Spam today.