5 Most Notorious Secret Societies
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Freemasons
The group likely started as a guild of medieval stone workers who wanted to protect the secrets behind their ability to intricately carve softer stone known as "freestone."
Freemasons
They founded lodges where they could discuss their trade and developed secret handshakes and symbols to distinguish themselves from "rough masons."
Freemasons
The modern form of Freemasonry emerged by the 1700s as the organization emphasized intellectual discourse and recruited aristocrats and artists.
Freemasons
Among their ranks are some of the most powerful men in history, including George Washington and 13 other presidents, Mozart, Churchill, and Henry Ford...
Freemasons
...leading many to believe that Order is involved in murderous plots to control the world's governments, industries, and financial institutions.
Freemasons
5 Most Notorious Secret Societies
Knights Templar
The Knights Templar was an order of monastic knights formed in 1120 to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem.
Knights Templar
The group was given a headquarters on the Temple Mount where they were rumored to acquire relics such as the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant.
Knights Templar
The group amassed great wealth after it began receiving donations from Europe's wealthiest families, and the Vatican exempted it from local laws and taxes...
Knights Templar
They began to take on an increased financial role in Europe by managing the estates of Crusaders and by setting up and early banking system for pilgrims.
Knights Templar
The Order protected the Holy Land for nearly 20 years but fell out of favor after Jerusalem was recaptured by the Muslims.
Knights Templar
King Philip IV of France, who was heavily in debt to the Knights, ordered the arrest of all Templars in 1307, and Pope Clement V dissolved the Order in 1312.
Knights Templar
5 Most Notorious Secret Societies
Illuminati
The Illuminati was founded in 1776 by German university professor Adam Weishaupt.
Illuminati
The movement advocated free thought, liberalism, and gender equality while opposing state abuses of power and the Catholic Church's domination over the government.
Illuminati
Influential intellectuals and politicians were recruited from Masonic lodges, with members taking a vow of secrecy and pledging obedience to their superiors.
Illuminati
Influential intellectuals and politicians were recruited from Masonic lodges, with members taking a vow of secrecy and pledging obedience to their superiors.
Illuminati
The group was broken up and suppressed by government agents in 1785...
Illuminati
...but some say the group survived to mastermind the French Revolution and later infiltrate positions of power in government and business.
Illuminati
5 Most Notorious Secret Societies
Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Group is an annual conference attended by 120-140 of the most powerful and influential people in government, politics, finance, and industry.
Bilderberg Group
The conference was first organized in 1954 at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands by Polish activist Jozef Retinger...
Bilderberg Group
...who wanted to foster cooperation between the United States and Western Europe on political, economic, and defense issues.
Bilderberg Group
Former attendees include US president Bill Clinton, businessman David Rockefeller, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, and US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Bilderberg Group
The group's annual meetings are held in complete secrecy...
Bilderberg Group
...inviting many conspiracy theories that say the group controls and profits from major world events like the credit crisis...
Bilderberg Group
5 Most Notorious Secret Societies
Opus Dei
Opus Dei is a Roman Catholic institution founded in Spain in 1928 by Catholic priest St. Josemaria Escriva...
Opus Dei
The group, which was officially approved by the Vatican in 1950, promotes a return to conservative Catholic values and personal sacrifice to God.
Opus Dei
Opus Dei is known for its secretive nature, with members using secret greetings and being barred form revealing their membership.
Opus Dei
Members are expected to wear a cilice, a small spiked chain, around their upper thigh for two hours each day, and the flail themselves weekly.
Opus Dei
Many believe the group has infiltrated global politics and business, with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and formed FBI head Louis Free thought to be members...
Opus Dei
But are they just conservative Catholics on a mission from God or part of a greater worldwide conspiracy...?
Opus Dei
