Back in the Old West petroleum jelly made it's debut under the trade name "Vaseline" on this day in 1878. It has remained unchanged (for more than 125 years) because it's one of them all-purpose, handy-dandy products that cowboys (and homeowners) use for just about everything from softening saddles to stopping rust on tools, guns and metal stuff of all kinds. Rub a little on your hands and you've got yourself an "invisible glove" of sorts that makes dirty, messy cleanups a breeze. Rub some on your face and you've got a shiny look that protects your mug from paint spatter. When you're working around the old ranch house try lubricating any kind of threads, from nuts and bolts to light bulb bases, for easy on-off, in-and-out action. It also prevents corrosion and makes seals watertight. Experiment a bit, and you'll find even more surefire uses for petroleum jelly. But we'll be danged if we know what it was invented for in the first place. And that's the On The House tip for today.