The realization often arrives in an ordinary moment. You’re fighting with a rusted garden hose nozzle or a stubborn bolt that hasn’t moved in years. You grab the spray, apply it instinctively, and watch metal surrender almost instantly. Then the thought lands: what does WD-40 actually stand for? It’s a product everyone knows, but almost no one questions. That curiosity opens the door to a story far more interesting than its everyday uses suggest.
The origins of WD-40 have nothing to do with household convenience. Its roots are planted firmly in Cold War America, at a time when science, engineering, and national defense were tightly intertwined. In 1953, a small team at the Rocket Chemical Company was tasked with solving a very specific problem: how to protect missile components from corrosion. Moisture was the enemy, and failure was not an option.
Leading that effort was chemist Norm Larsen. His goal wasn’t to invent a multipurpose lubricant or a miracle spray. He was searching for a chemical solution that could displace water completely, forming a protective barrier over metal surfaces. The team experimented relentlessly, refining formula after formula. Thirty-nine attempts failed. Each one fell short of the performance standards required for aerospace and defense applications.
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