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Mikhail Kalashnikov, circa 2000

Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, Mihail Timofeevič Kalašnikov) (born November 10, 1919) is a famous Russian gun designer, most famous for his AK-47, frequently called the Kalashnikov. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Mikhail Kalashnikov This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Mikhail Kalashnikov This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ...

Background

Born a peasant in the village of Kurya, Altai Krai, he started his engineering career working at a train depot where he learned mechanics. In 1938, he was drafted to the Red Army, serving as a tank commander during the first months of the Great Patriotic War. In October 1941, he was wounded in combat and sent home. He created his first gun designs in hospital, soon joining a depot workshop of the Moscow Aviation Institute. There, Kalashnikov produced innovations for tanks, such as a shot-counting mechanism. Within a few years, he was promoted to chief engineer. In 1947, he designed the AK-47 (acronym for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1949, the AK-47 assault rifle became the Soviet Army's standard issue rifle; after that, the design became Kalashnikov's most famous invention. Kurya (Russian: ) is a village (selo) in Altai Krai, Russia. ... Altai Krai (Russian: ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai) in the Siberian Federal District. ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Mechanics (Greek ) is the branch of physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effect of the bodies on their environment. ... For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ... The Eastern Front1 was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... Named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, the Moscow Aviation Institute is one of several major higher education establishments in Moscow. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The AK-47 is the worlds most common assault rifle. ... This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ...

After WWII, as General Designer of small arms for the Soviet Army, his design subordinates included the Germans Hugo Schmeisser and Werner Grüner (of MG 42 fame) and a pioneer in sheet metal embossing technology in the 1950s. This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ... Hugo Schmeisser (born 24 September 1884; died 12 September 1953) was one of the most important developers of infantry weapons in the 20th Century. ... The Maschinengewehr 1942, or MG42, is a German machine gun, first manufactured in 1942 as the successor to the MG34. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...

Later in his career he developed a squad automatic weapon variant of the AK-47, known as the RPK (Ruchnoi pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov light machine gun), and also the PK (Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov machine gun), which used the full-power rifle cartridge of the Mosin-Nagant rifle. The cartridge was belt-fed, not magazine-fed. These designs were adopted for their roles, while the AK-47 remained the Red Army's primary infantry weapon. A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The RPK (Ruchnoy pulemyot Kalashnikova, Russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова) is the light machine gun that replaced the RPD in the role as squad automatic weapon for Soviet infantry. ... The PK is a 7. ... Chinese copper-washed, steel-cased, corrosive-primer 7. ... The Mosin-Nagant (Мосин-Наган) is a military rifle of Russia and later the Soviet Union, in service in various forms from 1891 until the 1960s, when it was finally replaced in its final function as a sniper rifle by the SVD... Rimmed, centerfire . ...

Since 1949, Mikhail Kalashnikov has lived and worked in Izhevsk, Udmurtia. In 2004, he began selling his brand of vodka[1]. He told Reuters Television, "I've always wanted to improve and expand on the good name of my weapon by doing good things." Kalashnokov vodka is 41 per cent alcohol, and sold in a rifle-shaped glass bottle. Izhevsk (Russian: ; Udmurt: ), from 1985 to 1987—Ustinov (), after Dmitry Ustinov, is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, located on the Izh River in the Western Urals area. ... The Udmurt Republic (Russian: ; Udmurt: Удмурт Элькун) or Udmurtia (Russian: Удму́ртия) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vodka bottling machine, Shatskaya Vodka Shatsk, Russia Vodka is one of the worlds most consumed distilled beverages. ...

The legacy of Kalashnikov's rifles as the most popular assault weapons has prompted him to state his regret that they are now used by terrorists

Mikhail Kalashnikov was twice named Hero of Socialist Labor. In 1998, he was awarded an Order of Saint Andrew the Protoclete (orden Svyatogo Andreya Pervozvannogo). His current military rank is Doctor of Technical Sciences. Hero of Socialist Labor (Герой Социалистического Труда in Russian, or Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Collar and Breast Star of the Order of St. ...

Despite estimates of some 100 million AK-47 assault rifles circulating, General Kalashnikov claims he has not profitted from their sale, that he only receives a state pension.[2] Recently, he said he does not lose sleep worrying about bloodshed. "I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," Kalashnikov said. He also claimed to have always wanted to design agricultural machinery. [3] A German combine harvester. ...

Merchandise named for General Kalashnikov, such as umbrellas and knives, is being produced by German company MMI. One of the items is a knife named for the AK-74.[4] AK74 assault rifle The AK-74 assault rifle is the modernized version of the AK-47 developed in 1974, chambered in a smaller cartridge (5. ...

Further reading

• Forge, John (January/February 2007). "No Consolation For Kalashnikov". Philosophy Now (59). Retrieved on 2007-01-24. 
• Hodges, Michael. AK47: the Story of the People's Gun. London: Sceptre, 2007 (hardcover, ISBN 0340921048).

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Mikhail Kalashnikov

• (German) Biography
• 'I sleep soundly' - Interview with and article on Mikhail Kalashnikov at the age of 83, from The Guardian newspaper.
• The Biography of the Main Gun Designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov
• Mikhail Kalashnikov backs weapons control
• BBC NEWS Profile: Mikhail Kalashnikov
• Free illustrated virtual guided tour of the Museum of Mikhail Kalashnikov
• The life of Mikhail Kalashnikov (Russian)
• On the AK-47's military and social effects on history
• [5] Kalashnikov's Vodka
• [6] Mikhail Kalashnikov with Elena Joly: The Gun that Changed the World