In what may be an unprecedented in firearms history, a country will be holding grand celebrations for a firearms designer. Last 3 October 2016, President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order to establish an executive committee to organise the 100th birthday celebrations of the father of the AK-47, Mikhail Kalashnikov.

Kalashnikov, who died on 23 December 2013, was born on 10 November 1919 in the Kurya, Kuryinsky District, Altai Krai, Russia. Thus, we see the celebrations of his 100th birthday to take place in November 2019, with regional celebrations or preparatory events taking place before the 10th of November.

In a report in Newsweek last 4 October 2016:

Putin has described the products of rifle manufacturer Kalashnikov as “modern art” and Tuesday ordered that the man behind the famous brand should be given an honor usually only bequeathed to poets and laureats.

The 100th birthday of Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose company invented arguably the most iconic Soviet gun, the AK-47 assault rifle, will be planned by state officials from local and federal agencies, according to a request from the Kremlin.

Before becoming a weapons designer, Kalashnikov was a tank commander in World War II where he suffered a shoulder injury in the Battle of Bryansk. He decided to design reliable rifles when overheard Soviet soldiers complaining about the quality of their rifles when he was at the hospital. The first AK-47 was released in 1947, earning him Stalin Prize and the Order of the Red Star.

The AK-47 is the most widely produced rifle in the world. According to the Guinness Book of Records, there are more than 100 million Kalashnikovs in use in many countries. It is the most iconic rifle in the world with instant recognition by many people around the world. Some have said it is probably the deadliest weapon the world due to the number of deaths caused by the use of the weapon throughout history.

In August 2013, just a few months before his death, Izhmash Concern renamed itself as Kalashnikov Concern after 206 years in honour of its most famous employee after Kalashnikov turned over the rights to the “Kalashnikov” name to the new Concern. The AK-47 trademark was owned by his family until Kalashnilov Concern won the use of the name in a lawsuit.