1937: SPAM is born! Originally called HORMEL Spiced Ham, the company holds
a contest to create a name as distinctive as the taste. The winner, Kenneth
Daigneau, receives the grand prize... $100.

Other important 1937 occurrences: Amelia Earhart, disappears in her attempt
to be the first woman to fly around the world; Route 66 is officially
completed, total distance: 2,448 miles (that's 39 million cans of SPAM laid
end-to-end!); the Golden Gate Bridge opens
1940: SPAMMY the pig, the SPAM mascot, makes a guest appearance on the
George Burns and Gracie Allen hit radio show to help pitch SPAM.

Other important 1940 occurrences: "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of
Oz" make their screen debuts; Disney's animated masterpiece, "Fantasia" is
released; the Electron microscope is invented
1945: According to Nikita Khrushchev's book, Khrushchev Remembers, SPAM is
fed to Russian soldiers in WWII. Also, British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher calls SPAM a "war-time delicacy."

Other important 1945 occurrences: Smokey the Bear tells us for the first
time, "Only you can prevent forest fires"; the atomic bomb is dropped on
Hiroshima; a guardian angel helps Jimmy Stewart realize "It's A Wonderful
Life"
1954: Haile Selassie I, Ethiopian emperor and father of the Rastafarian
movement, visits the Hormel Foods plant in Austin, Minn.

Other important 1945 occurrences: Lassie, America's best-known dog, saves
Timmy for the first time; the first atomic-powered submarine, Nautilus, is
launched; the piña colada is invented in San Juan, Puerto Rico
1957: SPAM goes global as agreements with companies to sell SPAM are
established in Ireland, Canada, England and Venezuela.

Other important 1955-57 occurrences: Gunsmoke, the longest running drama in
television history, makes its debut (1955); Elvis Presley records his huge
success "Hound Dog" (1956); Jack Kerouac publishes his book On the Road
(1957)
1959: SPAM produces its 1 BILLIONTH can!

Other important 1959 occurrences: Rockers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and
"The Big Bopper" die in a plane crash near Crystal Lake, Iowa; Hawaii joins
the Union; a great American icon, the Pink Cadillac makes its debut
1964: Hormel Foods buys a hydrostatic cooker to keep up with the demand for
SPAM. (It takes only one operator and turns out 350 cans of SPAM per
minute.)
1969: A joint venture to market SPAM begins "down under" in Australia.

Other important 1969 occurrences: Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo 11
take "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" as the first men
on the moon; more than 400,000 young music and peace lovers converge on Max
Yasgur's farm in upstate New York for a little concert known as Woodstock;
the New York "Miracle" Mets shock the world and win their first world
series
1970: SPAM produces its 2 BILLIONTH can! SPAM makes its own television
debut on a sketch of Monty Python's Flying Circus - the Green Midget Café
serves eggs and SPAM, eggs, bacon and SPAM, eggs bacon, sausage and SPAM...

Other important 1970 occurrences: John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy is the
first X-rated film to receive an Academy Award; the floppy disk is
invented; millions of Americans participate in the first Earth Day
celebration; rock-legend and guitar-icon Jimi Hendrix dies of suffocation
after a drug overdose
1971: Hormel Foods introduces SPAM smoke-flavored..

Other important 1971 occurrences: Archie Bunker flushes the toilet for the
first time on national TV as "All In The Family" makes its debut; the
environmentally friendly Greenpeace organization is founded; the 26th
Amendment, lowering the voting age to 18, is ratified
1980: The 3 BILLIONTH can of SPAM is produced!

Other important 1980 occurrences: It's not Mr. Smith, but another Hollywood
icon goes to Washington as America votes in Ronald Reagan as president;
Sony introduces the Walkman; yet another Minnesota-based wonder, the Post-
It note makes its national debut
1986: Only six years after producing its 3 billionth can, SPAM reaches the
4 BILLION mark! SPAM less sodium is introduced.

Other important 1986 occurrences: The space shuttle Challenger mission ends
tragically, exploding moments after liftoff; world's worst nuclear accident
takes place when a reactor blows up at Chernobyl Power Station in Ukraine;
the first Martin King Luther Jr. Day is observed
1987: SPAM turns 50!

Other important 1987 occurrences: The world population passes 5 billion;
the Iran-contra hearings begin; Minnesota is on top again as the Twins beat
the St. Louis Cardinals to win its first World Series
1992: Hormel Foods introduces SPAM lite.

Other important 1992 occurrences: The original Dream Team gives the rest of
the world nightmares as the most dominant team ever shoots, passes and
dunks its way to a Gold medal; the Los Angeles riots break out following
the Rodney King verdict; the Internet attains 1 million hosts
1994: SPAM produces its 5 BILLIONTH can!

Other important 1994 occurrences: The Hubble Telescope launches into space;
OJ Simpson is arrested and charged with killing his wife and her friend
1998: SPAM changes its look to a gold can and a label featuring the world-
famous SPAMBURGER hamburger. SPAM also merges onto the information
superhighway with the launch of www.spam.com.

Other important 1998 occurrences: The Winter Olympics introduces
Snowboarding and Women's Hockey to its lineup; a small blue pill called
Viagra is approved in the US; politics has a huge year when Bill Clinton
gets impeached and Minnesota continues to amaze the world with the election
of Jesse Ventura as governor
2001: Hormel Foods opens the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minn..

Other important 2001 occurrences: Timothy McVeigh executed for Oklahoma
City bombing; the popular music website, Napster, is shut down; President
G.W. Bush approves federal funding of stem cell research
2002: SPAM produces its 6 BILLIONTH can!







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