Kush remembered taking his son Adam to see that facade so many years earlier. "Daddy, why does it say Muh-duckel-ikshvee."

"Muh-duckel-ikshvee?"

"Right there." Pointing to the end of the roofline inscription.

He could scarcely keep from smiling at the child's innocent mistake. "Ah, that. M-D-C-C-C-L-X-X-X-V-I-I-I. That's an ancient and obscure symbolic code. Someday when you're older . . ."

"I want to know it now!"

So for the rest of the afternoon, they explored the mysteries of M, D, C and other Roman numerals, which date all the way back to the time of the Roman Empire.

The boy was enchanted and learned quickly. Soon he was being sent home from school for doing his arithmetic in Roman.

Now grown, Adam lived in Los Angeles. He freelanced in Hollywood, consulting on copyright dates for closing credits.

But Adam was pragmatic. He worked full-time as a financial analyst at a prestigious executive recruiting firm. And he used Arabic numbers--such as 1,2, and 3--in his day job.