Battle of Opis - The Fall of Babylonia (539 BC) #ancienthistory #babylonia #memoryoftheuniverse

The formula for Coca-Cola may be the most closely guarded secret in the history of American commerce. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 World Secrets That Will Never Be Revealed. Now that secrecy is a bit of a problem. For this list, we're looking at various well-kept secrets from around the world that will likely never be fully revealed to the public, or will never be uncovered whatsoever. Which of these are you most curious about? Let us know in the comments below. 10. Letters of Last Resort This is the stuff that spy movies are made of. Belonging to the United Kingdom, the Letters of Last Resort are exclusively written by the newly appointed Prime Minister. Four different letters are penned, which are then given to four submarines equipped with destructive Trident missiles. Within the letters are instructions telling the commanding officers what to do in the event of a nuclear strike on Britain. No one but the Prime Minister knows the exact contents of the letters, as they're kept sealed until nuclear war breaks out. In the event that nuclear war doesn't break out, which thankfully it hasn't, the letters are destroyed upon the inauguration of a new PM. 9. The Imperial Napkin Fold It's hard to imagine a simple napkin being the subject of a state secret, but such is the magic of the Imperial Napkin Fold. The napkins at Austrian governmental events are given the fancy fold, which results in a gorgeous flourish befitting the rich dignitaries who attend these types of events. Also known as the Habsburg Napkin Fold, the technique is a guarded state secret, and it's said that only two people at a time know how to do it. They then pass the knowledge on to another high-ranking official upon their deaths. Napkins folded in this manner are even kept in Austrian museums, public interest in their extravagance being so profound. 8. The Coca-Cola Recipe Coca-Cola has been around since 1886, and try as desperately as they might, no one has been able to replicate its distinct taste. That's how you know you have a good beverage on your hands. Inventor John S. Pemberton kept his recipe a secret, and even refused to write it down for fear of people copying his success. It was finally jotted down when Ernest Woodruff purchased the company in 1919. The physical recipe then made the rounds between New York's Guaranteed Bank, Atlantis Trust Company Bank, and finally the world of Coca-Cola, which is where it resides today. It is currently housed in the so-called Vault of the Secret Formula, and it remains a very closely guarded trade secret. 7. The Origins of HIV-AIDS While HIV is largely linked to the 1980s, it continues to be a problem. In 2020 alone, it was estimated that nearly 40 million people were living with the disease. But regardless of its prevalence and very public history, there is still a lot about the retrovirus we don't know. For example, humanity is still mostly unsure of where it came from. The leading theory is that African hunters in the early 20th century killed and ate chimpanzees infected with SIV, the S standing for simian, which then mutated into HIV in the human body. However, this information is typically populated with words like probably and likely, indicating that the origins of HIV are not definitively known, even to this day. 6. The Farmer's Almanac Formula The Farmer's Almanac has been annually published since 1818, so it's obviously doing something right. The Almanac makes long-term weather predictions in North America, and various scientific studies have proven a roughly 50% rate of accuracy. Not bad, considering the predictions come up to two years in advance, and it seems like the local weather station doesn't even know if it'll rain tomorrow. Weirdly, almost nothing is known about the making of the Almanac. The forecaster is kept secret, and the Almanac itself has never revealed how it makes its predictions. The formula is reportedly kept inside an impenetrable box, and the world is left wondering just how the heck these gods can so accurately predict the weather. 5. Genghis Khan's Tomb Living in the mid-12th century to the early 13th, Genghis Khan is the infamous instigator of the Mongol Empire, which was the largest connective empire in history. He rose from abject poverty to rule most of the known world. It is claimed that one in every 200 men alive today is descended from him. After taking over much of the known world, Khan died under unknown circumstances, and was returned to his home country of Mongolia. Legend has it that the funeral procession killed anyone who witnessed it in order to keep his final resting place a secret. If that's true, it certainly worked, because no one today has any idea of where Genghis Khan is buried. Modern scholars believe his tomb is somewhere around the Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, but research in the area is difficult, owing to restrictions imposed by the Mongolian government. 4. The Lost Years of Jesus Christ Many scholars and historians agree that Jesus Christ was a real person, and that he was born sometime around 4 BC. However, a large chunk of his historical life remains unaccounted for, as no one knows what he was doing between the ages of 12 and 29. These are referred to by a variety of names, including his silent years. Of course, there are many theories. Some believe he was in Britain, others, India. But the leading theory is that he was in Galilee, a region of both Israel and Lebanon, working as a carpenter under the tutelage of his father Joseph. Following Jesus' unknown excursions, he was baptized in Almachtas around 28 AD, and it is here that his world-changing ministry began. 3. The USA's Missile Submarines There's something about submarines and secrecy. The United States owns various missile submarines that are guided by nuclear power, including the USS Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia. These are known as SSGNs. The missiles on board these subs have the potential to cause great destruction, but their whereabouts and activities are generally unknown. However, they literally surface from time to time. For example, Michigan appeared in South Korea in 2017, and Florida took part in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya. On June 28, 2010, a rare event occurred which saw three of four surfacing at once in response to Chinese missile tests. These four subs have been SSGNs since the 2000s, but most of their actions and locations have remained a secret. 2. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor It's amazing how little we know about a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Found in China's Shanxi Province is this world-renowned mausoleum, which is most famous for its terracotta army. It took 700,000 laborers and 40 years to build. Constructed from 246 to 208 BC, the area houses approximately 8,000 terracotta soldiers and the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. This is a massive underground necropolis containing, well, no one really knows. The burial tomb itself still hasn't been excavated, but Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian states that it contains, quote, fine vessels, precious stones, and rarities. But like many archaeological discoveries, it has probably been long looted. Perhaps we'll never know what it truly looks like within the mausoleum complex. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number 1. Area 51 When it comes to highly classified areas, it doesn't get more famous than Area 51. Found in the Nevada desert, Area 51 is a top-secret military facility with ties to cutting-edge technology. The place is so secretive that it wasn't officially unveiled by the CIA until 2013, even though it was very obvious that something was in the desert. Area 51 is officially known as a military training facility and supposedly a testing ground for both experimental aircraft and high-tech weaponry. Owing to its secretive nature, both trespassing and flying over the site are grossly prohibited and dangerously enforced. Naturally, this has given rise to a swath of conspiracy theories. Are aliens inside Area 51? Perhaps we'll never know. Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from WatchMojo. And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.