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WD-40:
The uncanny icon
in the iconic can
Test your knowledge about the
indispensable solvent as it turns 50.
BY MARTIN MAZLOOM
DURING THE COLD WAR. a company
in San Diego developed a chemical
“weapon” that would forever change
the world. Perfected in 1953, the agent
performed so well that employees began to sneak
it home for private use. Finally, in January 1958,
the company decided to cash in and sell it to the
American people. The weapon’s name? WD-40.
Next month, America’s burning love affair with
WD-40 turns 50 years old, and it shows no sign of
cooling off. In fact, the can with the cryptic cog
nomen can be found in eight out of 10 U.S. house
holds. Originally invented to combat corrosion,
WD-40 continues to be America’s leading solvent
for fighting not only rust, but also squeaks, grime
and objects that just won’t budge. But over the
decades, enterprising users have discovered loads
of other applications for it everything from re
moving crayon from walls and extracting gum
from shoes to creating rainbow’ formations in
empty aquariums.
Furthermore, WD-40, whose mystery formula
is known only to a select few, has become a world
wide phenomenon. WD-40 is now sold in more than
160 countries, and more than 2 million cans of it
are produced globally every week.
But just why has WD-40 been successful for so
long? “It’s an honest product,” says Gariy Ridge,
CEO of the WD-40 Company. “It does what it says
it will and more. It exceeds people’s expectations.”
Self-help gurus may contend that to get ahead
in life, it pays to be a squeaky wheel, but the WT)-40
legacy proves that it pays even more if you know
how to silence one.
To celebrate its 50th year, we want to see how
much of a WD-40 groupie you are. Take this quiz
to find out:
26
USA WEEKEND • Dec 28-30,2007
W4I
• Stops Squeaks
• Cleans And Protects
•Loosens Rusted Parts
•Frees Sticky Mechanisms
• Drives Out Moisture
CR FATAL IF SWAtt-OW-L
fetP OUT OF REACH*OF CmaCFE’-
SrE OTHER0 T HER CAUTIONS ON SAC*
NET WEIGHT 8 OZ./226g
1. What does WD-40 stand for?
® Worldwide Deluge, 40 days
& nights
© Water Displacement perfected
on the 40th try
© Worldwide Distribution in
40 years or less
® Washington, D.C., and Denver,
40th parallel
2. A person in Asia once used
WD-40 t 0...
® squeeze an
elephant through
a small barn door
® remove a python
snake coiled around
the undercarriage
of a bus
© keep a lion at the zoo from
trying to climb over his fence
® give a peacock’s feathers a
lusty shine
3. WD-40 was originally invented
for what specific purpose?
® to prevent rust on missiles
® to keep jazz musicians’
instruments working well
© to make tank tracks run
more smoothly
® to stop squirrels from climbing
up birdfeeder poles
4. Written down on a 50-year-old
steno notepad, the WD-40 secret
formula is kept where?
® under CEO Garry Ridge’s
mattress
© inside a fake can of WD-40 at
the company headquarters
© in a bank vault in California
® at the Smithsonian Institution
5. In 2001, the WD-40 Fan Club was
established. Its website lists...
© the names of those who
have figured out WD-40’s
secret ingredients
© poetry inspired by WD-40
© dating tips on how
to pick up members of
the Spam Fan Club
® 2,000 uses for WD4O I
6. According to the WD-40 w
Fan Club, people have
used WD-40 to do
everything below except...
® remove a stuck prosthetic leg
© spray on watch bands to keep
from pulling out arm hairs
© lubricate bed wheels for more
speed while bed racing
® dye a cat’s hair crimson
and clover
nr
© free a 10-year-old’s tongue
stuck to a frozen flagpole
® create a world-record 50-mile
long rainbow
A.
7. In 1992, Denver police
used WD-40 t 0...
® dislodge a naked
burglar from an air
conditioning vent
® get a trapped raccoon
to slide down an
80-foot tree
8. Responsible for mixing a few
"ingredients" together to create the
WD-40 elixir in a vat at WD^s
San Diego headquarters, facility
manager Ken East is affectionately
known as...
® The Magic Man
® KE-over 40
© The Brewmaster
© Ken E. “G”
9. In 2005, the BBC reported
that pub owners were using
WD-40 t 0...
® keep rodents from gnawing
at barrels of liquor
© detect counterfeit money
© keep pricey drinks
highly addictive
® prevent patrons from
snorting cocaine
10. In 2001, WD-40 became the official
multipurpose problem solver of
which organization?
® Australian Association of
Bed Racing Enthusiasts
©NASCAR
L © The Late Show
ft With David
■ Letterman
w ® International
~ Alliance of
Airplane Mechanics
SCORING:
D 3, GOOD: Consider yourself
normal!
4-6, VERY GOOD: Consider trying
out for Jeopardy!
7-9, TOO GOOD: Consider taking
up a simple hobby, like hand
shadows or napping.
10, NOT GOOD: Consider getting
some help. For free treatment
from a respected support
group, go to wd4o.com and
click on “Fan Club.” E 3
ANSWERS: 1) b; 2) b; 3) a; 4) c; 5) d; 6) d; 7) a;
8) c; 9) d; 10) b
PEACOCK: HARDING MAI OOF, JUPITER. LETTERMAN: JOHN PALM. HO, CBS