On this day 78 years ago...

Prime Minister of Italy, Benito Mussolini, and Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, met in Berlin to sign the Pact of Friendship and Alliance. Though its name bore the veneer of positivity and optimism, this alliance was actually a catalyst for the sinister actions of the two countries; this was effectively the founding of the evil Axis powers. The pact consisted of two parts. The first part declared a cooperative union between Germany and Italy; they would act in unison with one another in both war and  peace. The second part, a "Secret Supplementary Protocol", proposed growth of military and economic strength. This portion was not publicly announced. The following year, Japan would join the pact. While its intentions were to unify these rising fascist movements, it was largely ineffective thanks to the scheming occurring within each of the three parties. Hitler allegedly told his top brass to maintain secrecy about all planned military actions and aspirations shortly after the signing. It was a combination of nationalist ideology, impulsiveness, and lack of cooperation that would ultimately lead to the demise of this pact, and these evildoers, only a few years later.