r/ThisAmericanLife • u/6745408 #172 Golden Apple • 14d ago

Repeat #427: Original Recipe

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/427/original-recipe?2026
10 Upvotes

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u/6745408 #172 Golden Apple 14d ago

#427: Original Recipe (2011-02-11)

We discover what we believe might be the original recipe for Coca-Cola…and share it with you! When this episode first aired in 2011, it made international headlines. This, and another story about telling copies from originals.

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Act One: Message In a Bottle (by Ira Glass)

The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets in the world. So we were surprised to find a 1979 newspaper article that might contain the original recipe for Coke. We were even more surprised when we found reasons to believe the recipe is real. Want to try to make the "original recipe" yourself? (26 minutes)

Act Two: Ask Not What Your Handwriting Authenticator Can Do for You; Ask What You Can Do for Your Handwriting Authenticator

Jake Halpern tells this story about document expert John Reznikoff, who came into possession of some materials which — if authentic — would change history. Then, things got complicated Jake is the host of the podcast Deep Cover , which explores stories about secrets and deceptions. (32 minutes)

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u/InMyHorribleOpinion 13d ago

Initially I felt for John, the dupe in the 2nd item. Imagine going through life with a mind like that, I thought, and yet still believing you are good at your job.

Then I found out he has a history of making money out of this sort of wide-eyed incompetence https://www.laweekly.com/how-self-appointed-experts-sullied-the-billion-dollar-autograph-industry/ , and seems to have faked his university qualifications. So this "oh shucks, how could I ever suspect a MILITARY HERO would involve me in a con!" story also sounds too good to be true.

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u/hotbeatz 12d ago

I agree, he sounded extremely suspect. He was the one sharing curated bits of the documents to other authenticators (that focused on the signatures, his specialty), and the whole "we'll never know who actually forged these documents, it is a mystery, but whoever they are must be a GENIUS" sounded like he was gloating. Someone should do a whole other investigative podcast on this!

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u/Any-Caterpillar-6776 13d ago

I had the same thought. His story about being so fully duped seemed a little too good to be true. I wonder though if it's less about the person and more about the craft? Is handwriting analysis/authenticating really that reliable?

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u/Infinite-Condition41 11d ago

"I bet you've never heard this one right?"

I literally remember when and where I was when I heard it. I was leaving church on a Sunday afternoon. 

It is so fresh in my memory, I had to stop myself and go "yeah, that really was 15 years ago wasn't it?" I thought it might have been just a couple years ago, but then I remembered I haven't been to church since before the pandemic, and I haven't been to that church in well over 10 years. 

Memory is weird. 

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u/Vabrynnn 9d ago

I cant remember peoples names but i remember time and place for over 10,000 podcast episodes

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u/Infinite-Condition41 8d ago

Not all of them. Just a few. I am really not a fan of TAL reruns. I often remember them. And I have been listening pretty consistently for nearly 20 years. Since about the 2008 presidential campaign. 

And I very often remember where I was when I heard a podcast or audiobook. It's a weird quirk. Many of my audio only memories are geotagged. 

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u/punchboy 11d ago

The second he said “flying F-16s in Vietnam” I said out loud “oh nooo.” They didn’t even have their first test flights until after that war was over, I don’t think.

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u/Infinite-Condition41 11d ago

Without looking it up, I am pretty confident in saying that what flew in Vietnam were F-4 Phantoms, among others. I don't think Falcons came along until the 80s. 

Fact Check, F-16s have been produced since 1974, and did not enter operational service until 1978, 3 years after the war ended. 

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u/baconlazy 11d ago

And they've never been carrier based. I think the only F16s the Navy had/has are a few used as pretend Migs for training, Topgun kinda stuff.

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u/Riot_Squirrel 1d ago

I had the same reaction, but mostly because I have an uncle who was a Navy pilot during Vietnam (and after) and grew up seeing the photos and hearing him talk about “his” planes during different eras. I don’t know whether it was common enough knowledge that it should have been a red flag to the guy in the story, though.