Few products have become as recognizable as WD-40. The blue-and-yellow can can be found in garages, workshops, toolboxes, and sheds around the world—and its name has become almost synonymous with fixing a squeaky hinge or loosening a stubborn fastener.
But the name itself sounds like a product code rather than a brand. So, what does WD-40 actually mean? The answer goes all the way back to a small laboratory in San Diego in 1953—and it involves 40 attempts to get a formula right.
