Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of famed Russian AK-47 assault rifle, passed away in his home city of Izhevsk, an industrial town. Kalashnikov was the carnage of World War II, when Nazi Germany overran much of the Soviet Union, which altered his course and made his name as well-known for bloodshed as Smith, Wesson and Colt. The distinctive shape of the gun, often called “a Kalashnikov,” appeared on revolutionary flags and adorns memorabilia
MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV (DECEMBER 23)
