It’s probably not a stretch to describe Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 assault rifle as the most important small-arms weapon of the 20th century.

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July 6, 1947: The AK-47, an All-Purpose Killer

Born out of Kalashnikov’s obsession to create a weapon capable of driving the invading Germans from his motherland, the Soviet weapons designer produced an assault rifle renowned as much for its simplicity as for its effectiveness.

Although it never saw service during World War II, the AK-47 became the standard infantry weapon for the Red Army, as well as most of the other Warsaw Pact armies. National liberation movements supported by the Soviet Union also found themselves generously equipped. More famously, it continues finding its way into the arsenals of rebels, drug traffickers, street gangs and terrorists the world over.

Now approaching 90, Kalashnikov remains bullish on his greatest creation. Despite the ever-mounting death toll caused by the AK-47, Kalashnikov has no trouble sleeping. “I was doing it for my country,” he says.

The AK-47 has evolved over the years, which keeps it relevant to this day. This gallery charts the history of this terrible, remarkable weapon.

Above: Early in the Iran-Iraq War, an AK-47-toting Iranian soldier watches smoke rising from burning oil refineries near the Iranian city of Abadan. The Iraqis included AK-47s in their arsenal as well, although the Soviet Union imposed an arms embargo on Iraq after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iran. Iraq's new partner, the United States, was able to provide Saddam's troops with the spare parts necessary to keep their Russian-made weapons functional.

Photo: Henri Bureau/Sygma/Corbis

In this 1979 photo, a young Khmer Rouge soldier holds a North Korean-made AK-47 rifle after fleeing to Thailand ahead of advancing Vietnamese troops. The Soviet Union licensed manufacturers in a number of countries to produce versions of the AK-47.

Photo: Bettmann/Corbis

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK-47’s inventor, shows off his handiwork in 1997 ahead of festivities to mark the weapon’s 50th anniversary.

Photo: Vladimir Vyatkin/AP

A Taliban militiaman checks his AK-47 while cleaning it between skirmishes in the mountains of Afghanistan. The ammunition clip has been removed, which, considering the way he’s holding it, shows good sense.

Photo: Santiago Lyon/AP

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) holds an AK-47 with a modified shoulder stock and ammunition drum during a 1999 news conference in Washington D.C. Feinstein was seeking a federal ban on high-capacity ammunition clips. She didn’t get it.

Photo: Dennis Cook/AP

Esmad Ullah, a teenage soldier in Afghanistan's national army, could be the poster child for the ubiquity of the AK-47 assault rifle. The picture was taken in 2003, near Ullah’s observation post outside of Kabul.

Photo: Tom Hanson, CP/AP

Squeeze, don’t pull. A Palestinian girl receives a lesson in the art of firing an AK-47 from a police officer. She was among some 30,000 Palestinian youngsters who attended special summer camps across Gaza in 2000, where they were taught to handle weapons and schooled in guerrilla warfare tactics.

Photo: Adel Hana/AP

Somali pirates armed with AK-47s guard their French hostages, taken when they seized the sailing yacht Tanit off the African coast in April. One hostage was killed when French navy commandos swooped in after the pirates threatened to begin executing hostages. AK-47s are cheap and plentiful, making them the weapon of choice for terrorists the world over.

Photo: French Defense Ministry/AP