Which of the top seven secret societies would win in a fight?

MSNBC has the fact vs. fiction on the seven most powerful secret societies. Are any missing from this list? Which do you think would win if they got into a fight?

Illuminati

In the Dan Brown thriller "Angels & Demons," Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon tries to prevent a modern-day resurgence of an ancient brotherhood called the Illuminati from carrying out its goal of destroying the Catholic Church. The real-world origins of the group trace back to Bavarian law professor Adam Weishaupt, who in 1776 established a group to free the world from the control of the church and, perhaps, establish a New World Order. That group is thought to have disbanded by 1790, though some theories suggest that the Illuminati continue to operate today...

Knights TemplarIn "The Da Vinci Code," the Knights Templar are the supposed secret guardians of the Holy Grail. According to historical accounts, the group was founded around 1118 to protect Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Over the next two centuries, the knights gained power and property and established a primitive banking system to finance its operations. Once the crusader kingdoms collapsed, however, the knights' power and secretive ways aroused suspicions. King Philip IV of France, perhaps indebted to the Templars, arrested many of the leaders on allegations of heresy. Though absolved of the charges by Pope Clement V, as shown in this document recently published by the Vatican, the group reportedly disbanded in 1312 ...

FreemasonsThe origins of the Freemasons may go back to groups of independent stonemasons who banded together as they built churches for the Knights Templar. But the Masons are perhaps best-known in the United States for their hand in building the country. Their membership reads like a who’s who of the Founding Fathers: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and Paul Revere, to name just a few. The society, more a patchwork of independent lodges, remains active today. Some conspiracy theorists claim the true intent of the Freemasons is world domination and see signs of their influence everywhere, including the Great Seal of the United States, shown here. Masonic lore is said to figure in Dan Brown’s next thriller, “The Lost Symbol.” ...

Rosicrucians

According to legend, Rosicrucianism was started by a German named Christian Rosenkreuz who was born in 1378. The story goes that he left a monastery as a spiritually dissatisfied teen and headed for the Holy Land, where he learned of alchemy. Upon return, he launched a secret society dedicated to studying the occult and doing good works for the needy without drawing attention. All of this was revealed in three writings that began circulating 120 years after his death in Germany, spurring the rise of Rosicrucian groups. But the whole premise of the society might be a hoax. A Lutheran pastor named Johann Valentin Andreae claimed that he wrote the widely circulated pamphlets to mock alchemy. Another theory suggests William Shakespeare, shown here, didn't write his plays. Rather, Rosicrucian Sir Francis Bacon did so to spread the society's beliefs. ...

Cosa Nostra

Cosa Nostra, known colloquially as the Mafia and immortalized in the “Godfather” saga, is perhaps the world’s best-known secret criminal society. Its racketeering origins are rooted in 19th-century Sicily where peasant farmers were preyed upon. Today, the association of groups, or families, spans the globe with its hands in everything from drug trafficking to fake designer clothing. The world's government agencies and police forces continue their battle against the crime syndicates. In 2007, for example, police arrested Salvatore Lo Piccolo, shown here, who authorities said was trying to become a top boss in the organization. ...

Skull and Bones

Former President George W. Bush and his onetime challenger Sen. John Kerry are members of Yale University's famous and not-so-secret secret society, Skull and Bones. So too are dozens of other members of Congress and titans of industry. The group, which apparently indoctrinates members in the spring of their junior year with a tap on the shoulder followed by some sexual confessions while lying prone in a coffin, is essentially one super powerful alumni network from one of the nation's most elite universities. All that power, naturally, makes some people quite wary. ...

Bilderbergers

Just about every year since 1954, European and North American power brokers have met behind closed doors to promote better trans-Atlantic understanding and chew on the problems facing the world. About 120 people are invited to attend each year, many of whom even cursory readers of the news would recognize. But the lack of publicity about the high-profile event has proven potent fodder for conspiracy theorists who are convinced the group is plotting world domination. Well-known recent Bilderberg attendees include Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, shown here. The group is named after the Hotel de Bilderberg outside Arnhem in the Netherlands, where the group first met. The annual meeting changes location every year.

via - MSNBC