WD-40 was originally used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile

The product worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans out of the plant to use at home.  The name of product is a combination of (1) the abbreviation for “water displacement” and (2) the number of tries it took Rocket Chemical Company to the the formula worked out.

WD-40 was originally used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile