Mikhail Kalashnikov

Mikhail Kalashnikov
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Михаил Калашников
Born	Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov; 10 November 1919; Kurya, Altai Governorate, Russian State
Died	23 December 2013 (aged 94); Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russia
Occupations	Small arms designer; Russian lieutenant general;
Known for	Designer of the AK-47, AKM, AK-74, RPK, and PK
Political party	United Russia; CPRF (until 2001); CPSU (until 1991)
Spouse(s)	Ekaterina Viktorovna Kalashnikova (née Moiseyeva; 1921–1977; her death)
Children	4, including Victor
Awards	USSR State Prize (1959); Hero of Socialist Labour (1964); Stalin Prize (1978); Lenin Prize (2); Hero of the Russian Federation; Order of St. Andrew; Order For Merit to the Fatherland II cl.;

Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (UK: /kəˈlæʃnɪkɒf/, US: /kəˈlɑːʃnɪkɒf/; Russian: Михаил Тимофеевич Калашников, IPA: [kɐˈlaʂnʲɪkəf]; 10 November 1919 – 23 December 2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general, inventor, military engineer, writer, and small arms designer. He is most famous for developing the AK-47 assault rifle and its improvements, the AKM and AK-74, as well as the RPK light machine gun and PK machine gun.

Kalashnikov was, according to himself, a self-taught tinkerer who combined innate mechanical skills with the study of weaponry to design arms that achieved battlefield ubiquity. Even though Kalashnikov felt sorrow at the weapons' uncontrolled distribution, he took pride in his inventions and in their reputation for reliability, emphasizing that his rifle is "a weapon of defense" and "not a weapon for offense".

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