Art · Technology · 1919–2013
Born: 10 November 1919 · Died: 23 December 2013 · Age at death: 94
Mikhail Kalashnikov died aged 94. He was born on 10 November 1919 and died on 23 December 2013.
Russian general who designed the AK-47 assault rifle
Did you know?He was a self-taught mechanic who originally intended to design machinery to help farmers improve agricultural production.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was a tank sergeant with little formal education who designed one of the most influential objects of the 20th century. His rifle was simple, cheap and almost impossible to break. Armies, rebels and criminals across the world adopted it. Kalashnikov earned little from his design. He insisted he had made it to defend his country. In old age he wrote to the Orthodox Church about his troubled conscience.
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (10 November 1919 – 23 December 2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general, inventor, military engineer, writer, and small arms designer.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Profile
Soviet weapons designer, born 1919
Mikhail Kalashnikov was born in Kurya on 10 November 1919.
He designed the AK-47 assault rifle.
It became the most widely used rifle in the world.
He began designing weapons after being wounded in 1941.
Career highlights
Did you know?He said he would rather have invented a lawnmower.
Questions people ask
1483–1546
1759–1805
1493–1541
1928–2020
1925–1984
b. 1960Missing someone? Suggest them
1867–1934
b. 1942
1881–19731483–1546A newspaper from their birth date
The front page from the day they were born, a classic keepsake.
Shop on AmazonScorpio zodiac gifts
Jewellery, prints and candles for the Scorpio in your life.
Shop on EtsyStar map of November 10
A custom print of the night sky on their birthday.
Shop on EtsyMilestone birthday gifts
Ideas for 18th, 30th, 40th, 50th and beyond.
Shop on AmazonWe may earn a small commission from purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.
Last reviewed: October 2026