From the catapult to the stealth fighter the most basic and the most complex weapons alike have changed the course of history--and with it our world. Whether it s the Chinese fire tube or the US Air Force s laser-guided smart bombs weapons have enabled humans to be the ultimate predator at every corner of history and fueled the expansion of every empire. But despite the constant evolution of weapons with all their shock-inducing and awe-inspiring capabilities some of the simplest weapons (such as the AK-47 with its nine moving parts) kill more people in one year (a quarter-million) than the combined deaths of the Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 (160 000 combined.) This is the ultimate countdown of every boom and bang since we began walking upright.