There can be few people who have not encountered this remarkable product. Assumed by some to have been a spin-off from wartime, military technology, and therefore named "War Department—1940," the title actually relates to the number of attempts it took the inventors of this water displacing (WD) chemical to perfect the product.
It was at a lab in San Diego, California, in 1953, that the Rocket Chemical Company and its three personnel embarked on their mission to create a range of rust- prevention and degreasing products for use in the aerospace industry. After thirty-nine "almosts," they succeeded. The aerospace contractor Convair bought the chemical for use as a corrosion inhibitor on its Atlas missiles, and other wholesale orders soon followed.
Rocket Chemical Company employees had for some time been taking small amounts of the petrochemical-based product home for their personal use. Company founder and chemist Norm Larsen (1923-1970), suspecting that the general public might find the product useful, experimented with putting WD-40® into aerosols. The brand made its retail debut in stores in San Diego in 1958 and sales, along with new and unimagined uses, steadily grew. In 1969, the company was renamed for its famous product.
These "unintended" uses have remained a theme throughout the life of the product. Initially devised as a moisture repellent, WD-40" has attracted an army of loyal users, who delight in finding new applications. So, whether using it on the edges of plant pots to keep slugs at bay, to remove chewing gum from the carpet, applying it to unstick a jammed zipper, or as a cure for arthritis (although the manufacturers are at pains to point out that they do not endorse this), WD-40''1 is likely to be around for a long time to come.
