Why is it called wd40

First off, let me be clear that while, yes, I am talking about WD, a commercially available product, I in no way care if you buy it or not.

This is not sponsored content, and I have no dog in this pond. Have at it. I just want to talk about the history of WD, which, I believe, is interestingly unexpected. Specifically, they were making a chemical for a particular rocket, the Atlas rocket.

Even though many of us think of Atlases as the rockets that launched some of the early Mercury astronauts into space , the Atlas started out as a missile, and was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile. As a missile, Atlases were expected to be built and ready to wait for indefinite periods of time, but ready to launch in case everything went terribly wrong and the United States decided it needed to launch some nukes at someone halfway across the globe.

Show the supply chain who's boss Get a head start on your holiday shopping at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and more. WD Company Timeline. Larsen, Gordon Dawson and John B. The company nearly doubles in size, growing to seven people who sell an average of 45 cases per day from the trunks of their cars to hardware and sporting goods stores throughout the San Diego area. Selling a few things, many places, becomes strategic focus.

Gulf coast. It is used to recondition flood and rain damaged vehicles and equipment. Rocket Chemical Company signs first international license agreement for Europe and other areas. John S. Many companies attempt to introduce imitation products, even going so far as to copy the distinctive blue and yellow can with the little red top.

Gerald Schlief is appointed president and chief operating officer of WD Company. He is later appointed to chief executive officer. Cole of New Jersey. Lava is the most famous brand of heavy-duty hand cleaner in the United States.

Lava was first developed in , in St. WD Company opens office in Bologna, Italy. Garry O. Ridge is appointed president and chief executive officer of WD Company.

WD Company opens office in Miami, Florida. Solvol was developed in Australia in No vac is a foam carpet deodorizer developed by WD Company to solve everyday house and car odors.

WD does not contain fish oil, contrary to a popular myth, nor does it contain silicone, kerosene, water, wax, graphite, chlorofluorocarbons CFCs. It has been put to these uses, the company says: A bus driver in Asia used WD to remove a python, which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus; police officers used WD to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent.

I'll certainly vouch for it, having once owned a '56 Ford pickup and later a '66 Mustang, neither of which could not be worked on without a squirt here and there to loosen rusty old nuts and screws. The company also says it'll remove gum. I have an 8-year-old, and a pair of reading glasses sitting in the back seat of the car, on which to test that later today.