Before the 19th century, very few people could read words. They read history in pictures and symbols within pictures. Like a modern version of Egyptian hieoroglyphs. Now that everybody reads in words, the histories the old pictures and sculptures have been redacted. One historys is  so controversial, conspiracy theorists and Da Vinci Code geeks can't wrap their heads around it. 
By Deborah Paulino, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.