BEST KEPT SECRETS

HERE ARE FOUR OF THE BEST-KEPT SECRETS IN THE WORLD:

Let's face it: Most of us are pretty lousy at keeping a secret. And with the Internet, nothing stays a secret for long these days anyway. That's why I get a kick out of this list. --"Cracked" magazine put together a list of the top secrets only TWO people in the world know. Here are four of them . . .

#1.) THE FORMULA FOR COKE. Coke executives are so protective of it, the company pulled out of India in the 1970s because they didn't want to give it to the government.

Only two Coca-Cola executives know the formula, and the original copy is under lock and key at a bank in Atlanta. What we DO know is, Coke still gets some of its flavor from the coca plant . . . the same place COCAINE comes from. But it's a coca leaf extract that's cocaine-free.

And due to obvious drug-related issues, they're the only American company allowed to import it. So even if you DID find out the secret formula for Coke, you couldn't make it.

#2.) KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN'S "ELEVEN HERBS AND SPICES". KFC's recipe dates back to the 1930s, and just like Coke, only two executives know it. The original copy is at KFC's headquarters in Louisville, but the place is like Fort Knox.

The floor and ceiling are made of two-foot-thick concrete, and the room is equipped with motion sensors and security cameras. Then, once you're in there, it takes two people with two keys and two different PIN numbers to open a safe that's bolted to the ground.

#3.) THE FARMERS' ALMANAC FORMULA. The Farmers' Almanac predicts the weather TWO YEARS in advance . . . and it has an 80 PERCENT accuracy rate. The Almanac's founder, Robert B. Thomas, came up with the mathematical formula in 1792.

We know they use sunspot activity, the tides, and the time of year to make predictions, but the only people who know EXACTLY what the formula is are the editor and an anonymous meteorologist.

#4.) THE SUBJECT OF "YOU'RE SO VAIN". The 1972 Carly Simon song is either about James Taylor, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, or Warren Beatty. But other than Carly Simon, the only person who knows for sure is Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC.

In 2003, Carly auctioned the information off for charity, and Ebersol won with a bid of $50,000, which also got him a private performance. But as part of the deal, Ebersol had to sign an agreement promising he'd never tell anyone else. And so far, he hasn't.

(--You can check out the full list here, which includes the type of mud umpires rub on baseballs, how sea monkeys work, and the location of Oliver Cromwell's head . . .)http://www.cracked.com/article/147_7-secrets-only-two-living-people-know-for-some-reason_p1(Cracked.com)