‘Spam’ is a very popular Monty Python sketch, first on television in 1970, 36 years ago. In the sketch, two customers are trying to order a breakfast from a menu that includes the processed meat product in almost every item. In the sketch, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of spam, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much spam is in the items. When she does this, the Vikings (don’t ask what they are doing there) in the corner start a song:
“Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
As we all know by now, the term spam (in electronic communication) is derived from this sketch. So the big question is: how did the term spam get connected with spam as we know it?
Personally I like this one, out of many answers on the net: the analysis form Brad Templeton: Origin of the term ‘spam’ to mean net abuse.