WD-40 is a widely recognized product across the United States. Today we used it to fix squeaky doors and the loosen tight rusted bolts, but how did it come to be.
In 1953, there’s a guy named Norm Larsen who’s a self taught chemist, and he realizes that metal and moisture together cause rust. So now of course, he has a big bold plan to make a solution to solve this problem. He works with Gordon Dawson and John Gregory to found the Rocket Chemical Company. He names it that, because the aerospace industry was always dealing with the rust problem. It took 40 attempts to make a solution which displaces water, therefore WD-40 (Water Displacement 40th Formula). So they ship it off to some plane companies, but employees start sneaking the solution home with them since it works so well, and now it’s a household staple!
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How WD-40 Was Invented
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WD-40 is a widely recognized product across the United States. Today we used it to fix squeaky doors and the loosen tight rusted bolts, but how did it come to be.
In 1953, there’s a guy named Norm Larsen who’s a self taught chemist, and he realizes that metal and moisture together cause rust. So now of course, he has a big bold plan to make a solution to solve this problem. He works with Gordon Dawson and John Gregory to found the Rocket Chemical Company. He names it that, because the aerospace industry was always dealing with the rust problem. It took 40 attempts to make a solution which displaces water, therefore WD-40 (Water Displacement 40th Formula). So they ship it off to some plane companies, but employees start sneaking the solution home with them since it works so well, and now it’s a household staple!