How did WD-40 get its name?

Hey [NICKNAME FOR OUR READERS],

WD-40 is everywhere. There’s probably one within 100 feet of you right now. 

But where does the name come from? 

And why did people steal it so much?

Read time: 1.3 minutes ⚡

Let’s go back to 1953, at the Rocket Chemical Company in San Diego, California. 

Meet scientist Norm Larsen.

His mission? Figure out how to stop rockets from rusting. Sounds easy, right? 

Well, apparently, it’s rocket science.

He’s working on a process called Water Displacement. But he can’t quite get it right. He tries again and again, tweaking the formula every time.

But from “Water Displacement 1” all the way through “Water Displacement 39”, everything sucked. (You can see where this is going, right?)

On try number 40… boom. Norm cracks it! He creates a formula so good that they used it to protect the first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Atlas.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

The stuff is so effective, workers started stealing cans of it for their own projects at home — fixing door hinges, rusty wheels, you name it. 

It was too good to leave at the lab.

Eventually, the Rocket Chemical Company realized they should focus on their star product.

So they renamed themselves to the WD-40 Company. (Creative, right?)

Today, they sell over a million cans every week.

Here’s your takeaway: it only takes one success to change the world.

WD-40 only came after 39 failures. And business can be just like rocket science sometimes. 

You’re going to have failures, setbacks, and squeaky wheels. But it’s about sticking around for that 40th try when you finally figure it out.

So, don’t get discouraged by the failures. Persistence is the magic ingredient, and when you finally crack it, the results can take off — literally.

Thanks for reading!

— The Backstory Business Team

P.S. Want to see this story in action? Check out the video!