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There were three inventors
of this product; the main inventor was a chemist named Norm Larsen.
At the time, Norm was trying to develop a product that would prevent
corrosion, which it does by displacing water. It took more than
three dozen tries to finally get it right.
This was back in 1953, the same year that Lucille Ball gave birth
to Desi Arnaz Jr., the same year that the New York Yankees beat the
Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series and the Minneapolis Lakers won
the NBA championship. There was no Super Bowl winner because the
first Super Bowl was still 12 years away.
What else happened that year? Dwight Eisenhower was president, an
invention known as the TV dinner hit the market, and the armistice
that signaled the end of the Korean War was signed. And a loaf of
bread cost only 16 cents.
Their new invention was originally created for the space program.
When workers began smuggling it out to use at their homes,
executives decided there might be a consumer market for it, so they
began packaging it in aerosol cans.
The San Diego-based company that makes the product was originally
known as the Rocket Chemical Company. They make and sell more than 1
million cans of the stuff in the United States each week, yet only
four people on the planet know its formula. The company promotes the
product by stating that it has thousands of uses. If I've said it
once I've said it a gazillion times: I hate it when people
exaggerate.
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The brand name has been known by its initials and a number ever
since it hit the market more than 50 years ago. Here's another hint:
The company's other products include Lava soap, 2,000 Flushes toilet
bowl cleaner and Carpet Fresh carpet deodorizer.
The product is so popular that it even has its own fan club! Not
just any old fan club, but a fan club with a board of directors. Yet
most people have no idea what the product's initials and number
stand for.
If your car won't start, you can spray it on your car's
distributor cap and it will displace moisture. Another of its uses
allows you to quiet your noisy door hinges. You can even spray it on
your bathroom mirror to keep the surface from fogging up. Of course,
the main reason why people buy it is to use it is as a cleaner,
degreaser and lubricant.
If you don't recognize the name of the Rocket Chemical Company,
the maker of the product originally known as "Water Displacement --
Fortieth Attempt," it's probably because in 1969 the company changed
its corporate name to the name of the product: WD-40.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at niemann7@aol.com. You can learn
more about WD-40 by visiting the official Invention Mysteries
website.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2006
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