The AK-47, one of the world's most recognizable weapons, has lost its father.<br/> <br />Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the simple but sturdy Russian assault rifle, died on Monday.<br/> <br />Kalashnikov rose to fame not long after World War II when he created the AK-47.<br/> <br />The 'A' stands for 'avtomat', or sub-machine gun, and the 'K' for Kalashnikov. The '47' stands for the year 1947.<br/> <br />Russia continues to use Kalashnikovs to this day.<br/> <br />Then again, so do anti-Western revolutionary movements, leftist leaders, gangsters and more.<br/> <br />In 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende died holding an AK-47.<br/> <br />Some 30 years later, Osama bin Laden was frequently filmed posing with a Kalashnikov.<br/> <br />In 2009, then-President Dmitry Medvedev honored Kalashnikov on his 90th birthday with the "Hero of Russia" gold star medal.<br/> <br />Around the same time, Kalashnikov expressed pain seeing his weapon in the hands of so many criminal elements.<br/> <br />He was 94.
