The Twinkie is turning 75 years old.
By the way Hostess says they don't last 75 years. The company claims Twinkies have a shelf life of 25 days.
Of course they probably live on in your arteries for decades.
As to the origins of the Twinkies, again according to Hostess:
Twinkies were invented by Jimmy Dewar, manager of the Schiller Park bakery near Chicago, in 1930. He wanted to make better use of the shortcake pans that were used only during strawberry season, so he made spongy yellow cakes and injected them with banana cream. He came up with the name Twinkie when he saw a sign for "Twinkle Toe" shoes in St. Louis, Mo. Cream filling replaced the banana filling when there was a banana shortage during World War II.
