Images from the Footprint of Mussolini

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Cover of novel The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth published in 1971

The novel begins on early 1957, aftermatjh of Second Arabian War. Arab terrorists try assassinate duce Benito Mussolini in Rome but it is total failure. Since it is clear that they can't assassinate Mussolini by their own Arab nationalists decide hire mysterious man called as "The Jackal" who is said to be one of best assassins of the world. The Jackal accepts the deal and begin to prepare assassination.

OVRA anyway finds out the plan and investigation is led by inspector Emmanuel Macroni. The novel follows preparations of the Jackal and work of OVRA to get assassin to be captured before he can achieve his job. Finally he is captured just before he is assassinating Mussolini and is killed. The Jackal's dientityet remain as mystery.

The novel was too filmed where Edward Fox starred name role.
 
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India launching manned space flight in 2011.

India begun its own space program in 1990's. It has progressed quiet well, thanks of much of support from United States. India managed to send satelites pretty quickly and first manned flight was in 2008. In 2015 Indian Space Agency announced sending first Indian to the Moon in 2025 being fifth country on the Moon after United States, Britain, Italy and China.
 
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Fan art of the main character Istir from the on-going hit Assyrian graphic novel series of the same name, the series was made into a cartoon series that was then released by American streaming service Webema in 2019.​

Whether one strictly reads the graphic novel series, watches the cartoon, or does both it is well received and well loved. The series, again whether the graphic novels or cartoon, follows the adventures of Istir, a fearless and sometimes reckless pink-haired girl, who lives and grows up in the fictional ancient Assyrian town of Aššur-Ḥarrān and frequently travels out into the wilderness of her homeland. There she interacts with a whole cast full of mythical and mysterious creatures from ancient Assyrian mythology as well as the mythology of other ancient Mesopotamian cultures.

Throughout the first two graphic novels of the series, and later season one of the Webema series, Istir brings her two friends (the book smart Mardina and the overly cautious and fearful Nadan) out of the town to see creatures that call Assyria home just as much as the humans do. Along the way they make friends, enemies and come across the seemlying dangerous and terrifying Humbaba, the First Monster.

Humbaba is depicted in the series as the misjudged and misunderstood guardian of the Cedar Forest. The villain of the series is Gilgamesh who seeks to destroy Humbaba to gain fame, fortune, and glory. In the most recent edition of the graphic novel series, Istir and company try to protect and help Humbaba, eventually getting the ear of Assyrian King Ashur-uballit I, who had just returned from a successful military campaign, and convinces him that Humbaba is only protecting his forest and that he poses no threat to humanity. Ashur-uballit, who earlier commissioned Gilgamesh to find and kill Humbaba, has a change of heart and commands Gilgamesh to stand down which the “hero” refuses to do.

The Assyrian monarch enraged at Gilgamesh’s stubbornness and disobedience has the man arrested though he (Gilgamesh) reveals himself to be a demigod and breaks free though in his attempt to kill the gentle Humbaba, angers the chief Assyrian god Ashur who strips Gilgamesh of his demigod powers and status then smites him thus killing him. Though the series is largely kid-friendly it delves into more mature topics such a war with intermediate pages showing Istir’s father, a soldier in the Assyrian Army, away on campaigns.
 
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Fan art of the main character Istir from the on-going hit Assyrian graphic novel series of the same name, the series was made into a cartoon series and was then released by American streaming service Webema in 2019.​

Whether one strictly reads the graphic novel series, watches the cartoon, or does both it is well received and well loved. The series, again whether the graphic novels or cartoon, follows the adventures of Istir, a fearless and sometimes reckless pink-haired girl, who lives in the fictional ancient Assyrian town of Aššur-Ḥarrān and frequently travels out into the wilderness of her homeland. There she interacts with a whole cast full of mythical and mysterious creatures from ancient Assyrian mythology as well as the mythology of other ancient near-east and Mesopotamian cultures.

Throughout the first two graphic novels of the series, and later season one of the Webema series, Istir brings her two friends (the book smart Mardina and the overly cautious and fearful Nadan) out of the town to see creatures that call Assyria home just as the human do. Along the way they make friends, enemies and come across the seemlying dangerous and terrifying Humbaba, the First Monster.
Awesome stuff!
 
So Humbaba would be TTL's Bill Cipher?
No, rather he is misjudged and misunderstood. The villain of the series is Gilgamesh who seeks to destroy Humbaba to gain glory, fame, and fortune. Istir and her friends try to protect and help Humbaba eventually getting the ear of Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad in the most recent edition of the graphic novel series and convinces him that Humbaba is only protecting his forest and that he poses no threat to humanity. Shamshi-Adad, who earlier commissioned Gilgamesh to find and kill Humbaba, has a change of heart and commands Gilgamesh to stand down which goes the way one would expect.
 
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No, rather he is misjudged and misunderstood. The villain of the series is Gilgamesh who seeks to destroy Humbaba to gain glory, fame, and fortune. Istir and her friends try to protect and help Humbaba eventually getting the ear of Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad in most recent edition of the graphic novel series and convinces him that Humbaba is only protecting his forest and that he poses no threat to humanity. Shamshi-Adad who earlier commissioned Gilgamesh to find and kill Humbaba has a change of heart and commands Gilgamesh to stand down which goes the way one would expect.

Amazing
Also interestingly enough that would have a huge impact on my life ITTL if I existed in the same way because I met my best friend thanks to a Gravity Falls story she wrote mainly about Bill, that not to say how she herself would be changed if she existed as she's from China and we all know how much it differs from OTL
It's funny to think about it
 
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Photo of Donato Manduzio (1885-1950), the controversial figure who attempted to recreate Judaism from scratch in the early XXth century in San Nicandro, in Foggia's province, and was indirectly responsible for a fringe but active sect within Judaism, calling themselves Mandutians, who adhere to a very strict interpretation of Mosaic Law and has an evangelizing bent much unlike most of Judaism.

Born an illiterate farmer, Manduzio was conscripted in WWI and wounded in battle. During his convelescence, he was approached by a Seventh Day Adventist, who offered him to teach him how to read and write with the help of an Italian translation of the Bible. While Donato proved himself a very apt pupil and used his skills to devour as much knowledge as possible from almanacs-- thereby becoming a sort of "spiritual healer" and seer for his community back home-- he was left unconvinced by the New Testament, findhing himself much more attracted by the teachings of the Old Testament instead. After a revelatory dream, and unaware of the existence of thriving Jewish communities elsewhere in the world (believing Judaism to be a dead religion), he proclaimed himself a prophet and started preaching his beliefs to the inhabitants of San Nicandro.

In the late Twenties, throught the salesmen passing in the village, he came into contact with the Jewish community of Turin and Rome, both of which were both bemused and alarmed by Manduzio's zeal and misinterpretations. The Grand Rabbi of Rome offered Manduzio the possibility to recieve material capable of bringing him and his followers back into more orthodox lines, but Manduzio still mantained a strong grip on his followers.

While unconventional, the OVRA's activities towards the San Nicandro quasi-Jews limited themselves to cautious observation, and Manduzio's pleads to reroute some of the Jews coming from the explusions in the rest of Europe were met with a token amount of people being redirected in the area, usually to the surprise of the new arrivals. Ultimately, in 1938, after years of the Rome community trying to nudge Manduzio back in line and him refusing due to his strong belief of "pure Jewishness", matters came to a head, and Manduzio gave an option to his followers: either leave and join the community of Rome, or keep following him.

While a few families packed their bags and left for Rome, usually completing their conversion there, the rest of the San Nicandro's unusual Jewish community remained loyal to him, and over time created their own set of practices. When war between Italy and Germany broke out, Manduzio decided to let some of his followers go north and help out: while none of the volunteers from San Nicandro saw combat, their attempts to help with medical aid and general support was enough to attract a handful of the people involved in the battle of Triste and the following skirmishes (with Parenzo becoming a particularily important town for the group, as that's where the bulk of the new converts, around 100, came from), who then followed the volunteers to San Nicandro.

In the aftermath of the war, the town became a known, but mostly harmless oddity. Manduzio ultimatley died of cancer on September 8th 1950: while the words on his diary made clear he intended for San Nicandro to remain confined to the Gargano Peninsula, believing that it was God's plan, his spiritual successor declared that it was now duty of all the loyal followers of Manduzio to spread the "Pure Judaism" all over the world, starting with Italy and Israel.

Israel used to classify Mandutians as a "worrying sect", especially in light of their decidely fanatical ideas, but their strictness never lead to much more than verbal violence. Currently San Nicandro is a common tourist destination for people interested in the esoteric and for pilgrims, though in the last few years there has been a trickling loss of importance of the Mandutian ever since the successor to MAnduzio died, a development that the Kingdom of Italy is unsure whether to avoid or allow.
 
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Mohammed Saeed Ramadan al-Bouti is a Kurdish Islamic scholar, famous for being linked to the Barzani family.

After the second Arabian war like many in Syria he fled to Kurdistan, when he continued as an imam. During the initial surge of religion radicalism, he gained the attention of the Barzani clan, who frequently promoted him as an ideal Muslim in exchange for him encouraging loyalty to the ruling party.

Though of Kurdish descent his strong ties to the Arab immigrants to Kurdistan made him an effective mediator of communal tensions.

Also famously he wrote a refutation of the Mufti’s Islamic State of Arabia prior to liberation, as well as later refuting both Bin Laden and the Ikhwan.

Hejaz too has promoted his scholarly work, due to his promotion of “traditional quietist Islam” from an Ash’ari sufi angle.

Some critics today however claim he was far too passive in the face of clampdowns on “religious radicalism,” however he is one of the most influential modern Ulema.

He also has gained notoriety in Turkey not simply for being promoted by the Barzani, but also due to his stern refutation of Kemalism, which many see as hypocritical given his support for the secular Barzani family in Kurdistan.
 
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Minister of armanment of nazi Germany Albert Speer photographed in 8th 1944 June, only two days before he was hicacked and probably executed by order of führer Himmler.

Soon after Hitler's assassination new führer Himmler gave order increase production of chemical weapons for usage against Allies. Speer probably realised such action would harsh answer from Allies and tried slow down the production. Gestapo anyway found out Speer's action and on June 10 he was seated to car and sent away. He wasn't ever seen again, not alive nor dead. Even Himmler didn't give clear answer after his arrest what did happen to Speer. But it is generally agreed that Speer was executed and either cremated or buried to place where his remnants can't be found. In 1954 Supreme Court of West Germany declared him as dead. Altough Speer's attempts for slow down production of chemical weaposn are seen as good thing, it is commonly accepted that he was heinous nazi criminal who probably would had been hanged from several war crimes and crimes against humanity if he would had ended to Nuremburg.
 
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Statue of marshal Georgy Zhukov front of Russian National Museum in Mosow, erected in 1996 on 100th anniversary of Zhukov's birth. He is only Soviet marshal who has received statue.

Zhukov was one of most effective Russian marshals during WW2. He was known as harsh man who demanded total accomplishment from his men. His effectiveness made Zhukov quiet popular which made Stalin paranoid and fearing bonapartism in Red Army. On end of October 1944 Zhukov had advanced much futher than any other Soviet commander and managed to capture Stettin. He anyway failed to reach Berlin before Americans, Brits and Italians what just made Stalin's paranoia worse. He outright suspected Zhukov being agent of the West and was sabotaging Soviet war goals. Stalin sent two political commissars who pressured Zhukov to commit suicide.

Stalin allowed to cremation of Zhukov and burial to Kremlin Wall due his popularity but he managed to minimise Zhukov's role on defense of Soviet Union. It was just after fall of Soviet Union and opening of military archives which revealed Zhukov's role during WW2. The West anyway knew actual fate of Zhukov altough Soviet Union claimed that he was killed in action when Germans bombed his headquarter.

Altough Zhukov was praised as defender of Russia during post-Soviet wars and was seen as unfotunate general who just served evil regime, during 2010's there begun to rise criticism over his war time actions and being defender of communism. There is some active attempts to put down "Zhukov's mythology".
 
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An example of U.S. pro-Italian propaganda during the later period of the Second World War, wherein the Roman Alliance joined the Allied Powers after the Nazi invasion of northern Italy.
 
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Official press picture of Hitler and Mussolini during former's official state visit in Rome on May 1940 when Hitler tried personally ask Italy to join to invasion of France. Mussolini anyway refused. This was last time when Hitler and Mussolini met personally.

Mussolni disliked Hitler already when he rose to power in 1933 due antisemtism of nazi party and Mussolini didn't like them being anylevel of nazis. They only agreed about some co-operation against commnusm and Mussolini relucatnely allowed Amchluss and capturing of Sudeteland. Germany tried many times ask Mussolini join ot Axis but he always refused and only allowed some voultary battalions join to Barbarossa. There was some trade and in 1942 Mussolini made deal to take German Jews to Libya.
 
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The photo of Lucky Luciano in the meeting of senior leaders of the League and the Mafia on November 1953. A rumored claimed Frank Sinatra was originally arranged the meeting, though it was denied since Frank vehemently declared that "any report that I fraternised with goons or racketeers is a vicious lie". This meeting was considered as a part of anti-Klan activities in to responses the Columbus Day Massacre in New Orleans.

Picture dated 1950 in Viet Bac military base of Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh , the founder of the Vietnam Workers' Party, during a military...

The last photo of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Vietnam Workers' Party, during a military campaign against American-French forces in Vietnam, 1950. Days later, he was killed during the Operation Charcoal under General Curtis LeMay led the major defeat for Viet Minh for the next two months.

Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo (1978) - IMDb

On 1978, a critically acclaimed Japanese movie Lupin the Third: The Secret of Mamo; or Lupin III: Lupin vs the Clone was financially successful upon release. The film was praised for aimed at its originality and faithfulness to the manga.

The story goes where Fujiko was lured by the the promise of eternal youth and beauty by the sinister and enigmatic scientist known as Mamo, double-crosses Lupin and steals the stone. Her betrayal causes a rift between Lupin and his cohorts, causing the trio to split up, but eventually leads Lupin to Mamo’s hideaway, where he discovers the madman’s dark secret and a fiendish scheme that threatens the entire planet! Now, it’s up to Lupin to stop the insane Mamo — before he can complete his 10,000 year-old plans of world domination.

The film managed to tackle every subject matter like the dangerous of Neo Nazi and Neo Communist's resurrection when Mamo planning for his clones of "brilliant" minds such as Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Josef Stalin and other leaders populating his new world. Yet, the film even criticized the Italian government's action during the Third Italo-Ethiopian War when Daisuke Jigen condemned an Italian officer during the UN forces against Mamo's menace plan.

Jigen: Is this what you call "reason"? If that's the case, let me tell you something. I used to be a great fan of Topolino, Dante, Giuseppe, Vivaldi, and Luciano Pavarotti but not anymore!

Nevertheless, the film was popular amongst the Italian audiences even after the death of Mussolini and Balbo.
 
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1995 photo of Ilario Afeverchi, notable Italo-Eritrean writer, who is famous both for his extensive partecipation in the Democrazia Cristiana in his youth, with a decent short-story production focusing on the life of Tigray peoples in Eritrea under the Fascist Cinquantennio... and his sudden, seemingly-out-of-nowhere writing of the novel L'Anello di Salomone, "King Solomon's Ring", considered among one of the most offensively anti-Ethiopian novels ever written, presenting an alternate world where Ethiopia, helped out by the Soviet Union in 1936, manages to defeat Italy and conquer both Somalia and Eritrea, before deciding to attack everything and everyone in sight, butchering thousands and razing entire towns to the ground in the name of "The Solomonic Privilege", all the while the rest of the world stands by idly, either unsure how to react or believing that Ethiopia is morally justified in committing atrocities due to being the sole unconquered african country. The novel ends with Ethiopia, by then occupying everything above the Congo, attacking Marseille in an amphibous attack just as the Invasion of France starts, and massacring everyone in their path, with the implication however that the United States will carpet-bomb super-Ethiopia with nukes as soon as the chance will arise. Interviews on the matter often made clear that he didn't believe the scenario to be realistic, but he did believe the existence of a double-standard towards Ethiopia, though when questioned what that double-standard entailed, he never truly elaborated it.

It's not known what prompted Ilario to write such an implausible screed, but, regardless, its status has given it a sort of Heratostrian fame, as some people have bought it out of bile fascination, to know what was so outrageously offensive about it, and in Italian Alternate History circles the phrase "vincere l'Anello di Salomone" has become shorthand for "writing a scenario that is both extremely implausible and extremely bloody manner that's also self-indulgent". In any case, the Democrazia Cristiana takes great pains in making clear that he is definitely not the average representative (or voter) of the party, and any of his attempts to run for any sort of political position have been all quietely killed with various means through unusual inter-party cooperation.


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The Visigoth Toy Soldier Who Toured Battlefieds: due to the extremely frequent questions about what would've happened had Operation Visigoth succeeded in knocking Italy out of the war, and the common consensus that it was fairly unlikely, the Italian AH Community decided to start a silly initiative, where each member would take this toy soldier to an accessible battlesite where the Regio Esercito was involved, and photograph it in sight of it. Starting from Trieste, the miniature saw the outskirts of Cairo (North Egypt), Adwa (Eritrea), Swemeh (Israel), Postumia (Serbia), Lannach (Austria) and even Chengjiao (China), until ultimatley it came back and was photographed in Vittorio Veneto. There were also plans to have a less-celebratory one, involving visiting the accessible places of widely-known Italian atrocities, but not enough partecipants were found.
 
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King Solomon’s Ring reminds me of the Draka.
Close enough, the idea was to mix the Draka with the Camp of Saints' depiction of Indians and non-whites (AKA a formless, disgusting to a ridicolous degree horde that's only unstoppable because nobody wants to fight it due to percieved "fear of kicking down"), in a way that sounded close to how an Italianized Eritrean could see the people that he hears were champions of African freedom, while also hearing they didn't like his ethnic group in particular AND that they don't live particularily good lives compared to either him or other Africans.
 
The Visigoth Toy Soldier Who Toured Battlefieds: due to the extremely frequent questions about what would've happened had Operation Visigoth succeeded in knocking Italy out of the war, and the common consensus that it was fairly unlikely, the Italian AH Community decided to start a silly initiative, where each member would take this toy soldier to an accessible battlesite where the Regio Esercito was involved, and photograph it in sight of it. Starting from Trieste, the miniature saw the outskirts of Cairo (North Egypt), Adwa (Eritrea), Swemeh (Israel), Postumia (Serbia), Lannach (Austria) and even Chengjiao (China), until ultimatley it came back and was photographed in Vittorio Veneto. There were also plans to have a less-celebratory one, involving visiting the accessible places of widely-known Italian atrocities, but not enough partecipants were found.
On the one hand, that's hilarious :p

On the other hand...this...this means that likely Sonny the Sea Lion doesn't exist in FOM...

This makes me sad...
 
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