I Didn’t Know That...

Q: What does the name WD-40 mean?

A: According to the company’s Web site, https://www.wd40.com: “WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That’s the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed WD-40 back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion--a task which is done by displacing water. Norm’s persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.”