01/03 – Benito Mussolini

Mussolini surrounded by armed guards in the 1920s, prior to embracing his infamous quasi-military outfit. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1925, Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini abruptly announced his transition from democratically-elected Prime Minister to cartoonish dictator. For his first years in power - after coming to prominence with his March on Rome in 1922…