Photo credit: newstula.ru
One hundred years have passed since the birthday of the outstanding Soviet and Russian small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov on November 10.
Events were held in several Russian and foreign cities. The anniversary was celebrated in Kalashnikov native village of Kurya, Altai Territory. A monument to the arms designer was unveiled in Kazan, and a large-scale exhibition began work in the city of gunsmiths in Tula, demonstrating the contribution of Mikhail Kalashnikov to the country's defenсe capacity, Tula News reports.
Mikhail Kalashnikov began his army service as a tankman, and showed inventive talents at the age of 19, creating an inertial counter for shots from a tank gun. Kalashnikov entered the Great Patriotic War as a tank commander. Once in the hospital after being wounded, he began to sketch the submachine gun, which he presented to the command a few months later.
In 1947, after training and practice in laboratories at the country's leading weapons enterprises, Mikhail Kalashnikov developed an automatic machine that made him famous all over the world. The designer himself saw the reasons for the wide popularity of the machine in that the development was carried out with an orientation to the wishes of the soldiers and the personal experience of Kalashnikov.
The inventor died in December of 2013.
In his native village of Kurya, Altai Territory, on November 10, a worship service, a gala concert and a demonstration of a film about the childhood of the designer took place. There All-Russian rally of employees and students of Russian schools bearing the name of the designer took place in Izhevsk, where Mikhail Kalashnikov lived and worked for many years.
Russkiy Mir
