WD-40 was created in 1953 in San Diego by the Rocket Chemical Company to prevent rust in aerospace work. The first company to use it commercially was Convair, to protect the Atlas missile. The name records the 40th attempt.
Employees took cans home, and the product reached stores in 1958. In 2008 the company and members of its fan club published “The official list of 2,000 uses.”