John S. Barry, the man “who masterminded the spread of WD-40,” as The New York Times puts it, has died at age 84. The product he promoted is more popular than an iPod.
WD-40 can be found in 4 out of 5 American households, the company claims. Its ingredients are a secret, and it has generated its share of myths and strange applications over the years.
Barry didn’t invent the stuff. “Norm Larsen, founder of Rocket Chemical Company, is considered the original founder of WD-40,” according to wd40.com.
Larsen aimed to develop a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. He succeeded at the goal, Water Displacement, on the 40th attempt, hence the name.
“Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion,” according to the web site.
A few years later the company made an aerosol spray version and the rest, as they say, is history.
