Designer of AK-47 dies at 94

The namesake of the most popular assault rifle in history, the AK-47, died Monday at age 94 after a long illness.

Hailed as a hero in the Soviet Union for the gun's creation, Mikhail Kalashnikov died in Izhevsk, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Though Kalashnikov designed the automatic rifle "to protect the motherland" after World War II, the gun, its descendants and knockoffs have become mainstays for armies and guerrilla soldiers around the world.

It is estimated that 100 million of the rifles have been produced.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal.