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Who Sent the First Spam Email? (And Why?)

November 11, 2026 · 40 min

Show notes

It’s day 3 of our week-long countdown, 25 People Who Changed the World… for Better, for Worse, and for Sillier! Today we head to Japan to find out how vending machines got so advanced, dive into the meme-worthy true story of a shady ancient ingot merchant, and gives props to the guy who kept your house from smelling like a sewer. Plus: How one man accidentally created the sprawling criminal enterprise we now know as spam.

Did you hear? PTG is ending on Dec. 29. If you want to tell us a fun fact for the road, let us know what the show meant to you, or just say goodbye, call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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