Creator1

We honor the savior of all things squeaky, rusty, or stuck, WD-40. But it wasn’t always a household name, in fact, the company was once called Rocket Chemical Company in 1953. This small company employed three staff members, all working on developing a rust prevention solution for the Atlas missile exterior. The Atlas was the first intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by the United States in the 40s and 50s. This was not an instant invention, in fact, what would become WD-40 was named because it was the team’s 40th attempt at their Water Displacement (WD) solution.

Eventually, the team discovered that consumers were using their products in their homes, supposedly even stealing it from their work in their lunchboxes to take home! This prompted the company to put the liquid into pressurized cans to make it available as an aerosol spray.

WD-40 wouldn’t sell in stores until 1958, but would soon be in high demand, selling 45 cases per day locally by 1960.

How WD-40 Disaster companion:

While it was a local and regional success, it wasn’t until 1961 that it made global headlines. Hurricane Carla had slammed the Gulf Coast. An emergency truckload shipment was sent overnight to assist with restoring vehicles and equipment that had been damaged by the hurricane. This would trigger the Rocket Chemical Company to sign their first international licensing agreement for Europe.

It would later be sent in small kits to soldiers in the Vietnam war to prevent moisture damage to their firearms and gear while deployed.

WD-40 to the moon (or at least space):

WD-40 would continue to make headlines when it’s released that the solution was used on John Glenn’s Friendship VII Earth Orbiter. It was used to reduce reentry friction and was used to coat the craft. In 1969 Rocket Chemical Company would be renamed to the WD-40 Company we know today. In 1973 WD-40 would IPO, increasing by 61% the first day they were listed.

WD-40 Today:

By the year 2000, WD-0 was a household name, being in 4/5 US homes. The company started a ‘Search for 200 Uses’ sweepstakes, which contributes to over 20,000 entries and sparks the beginning of the WD-40 Fan Club in 2001.

Today WD-40 has over 300 employees, it operates in Europe, Austrailia, Asia, and the United States. It sells over 1,000,000 cans every week. The formula continues to be locked away in a vault, much like the krabby patty formula. WD-40 can be found in 187 countries across the globe, and their fan club has a growing membership of over 100,000 people (can I get some subscribers from them please?)