Book excerpt: Behind the ordinary history of the world lies a second, hidden story - of secret societies, lost civilizations, sinister conspiracies, and mysterious events. Alternative visions of history have been around for nearly fifty years and popular culture has rapidly fed into this growing obsession. But how secret are these secret societies and what traces do the murky events of hidden history leave behind? Here you'll find the facts, arguments, important figures, and theories surrounding key questions being asked by many today: do secret societies actually control the world and, if so, what do they plan to do with it? What were the real origins of Christianity, the Freemasons, or the French Revolution? What is the significance of King Arthur, Leonardo da Vinci and Adlof Hitler to the world's secret societies?