What does ‘WD-40’ stand for?

WD-40′ literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. That’s the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed the product 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.