Last week I learned that WD-40 got its name from the number of tries that it took the
inventor to produce the
correct solution. Although I'm not sure what the WD means. It could be his initials or something
I know that this may sound like an
urban legend, but it was the correct answer on one of those
millionaire shows on
TV, so it must be true.
Update: From the WD-40 website.
What does WD-40 stand for?
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.