The Most Influential Weapons of History

[Glaucus]

both have only been around for <70 years hardly made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

But they have and will continue to do so. They have changed the entire world, And in the ak47, they have probably killed more people than any other weapon in history, used in more wars than anything else.


Even other weapons have not lasted long.

Some one said sword, but there are a 1001 different swords just like guns. Each was around for a limited period.
Also ancient weapons have rarely taken over the entire world. They have been limited to certain areas/countries.

 

[Deiwos]

I'm compiling a list of world-changing weapons - a top ten - but I'm having trouble refining it so thought I'd run it past OCUK's finest here for a bit of guidance and general input. There almost seems to be too many outstanding weapons to choose from so I need help to find ones that really helped to shape or define a nation, empire or era.

So far I've shortlisted these:

Bayonet
Short Magazine Lee Enfield
Longbow, for it's importance in medieval English history
Crossbow, for enabling common soldiers to kill armoured nobles with little training
AK47/AKM
Colt M1911


I also have these possibilities:

STG44
MG42
Recurve Bows
M1 Garand
Baker Rifle
Brown Bess
Maxim's machine gun
Greek Hoplon
Roman Legionary's Gladius
Katana or Samurai's sword

Any I'm missing GD?

Submitting a list to listverse by any chance?

I suppose it depends on your classification of weapon by the tank and aeroplane had major impacts on how wars were fought.

 

[Mason-]

how the hell is sword/spear not on there?

Hunting with a spear... is the base of all projectile weapons.
Except maybe a stone + sling (David vs Goliath)

spears might have been before this.

Or just simply throwing a rock.



Also I forgot.
Bare hands of a human.

 

[Deadbeat]

Big rock.

 

[EvilDreams]

Longbow, for it's importance in medieval English history

I don't think it was the longbow itself that was important (Mongol bows were much more advanced, and could be shot from horseback too) as much as the law that was in force at the time in England that required a certain number of hours training it per week.

The

AK47

Was really just a Russian knockoff of an Stg44 which removed the usual German overengineering.

Colt M1911

Why?

Greek Hoplon

The phalanx was pretty inflexible and had severe flaws.

Roman Legionary's Gladius

It wasn't really the weapon itself that was important or particularly responsible for Rome's success. It didn't work out that well for the Iberians the Romans took the idea from, after all.

Katana or Samurai's sword

Very pretty, but Europeans were making pattern welded swords long before this. They quickly realised that it was a better idea to arm a good portion of the army with "inferior" swords rather than just the nobles who could afford this level of craftsmanship. "Inferior" European broadswords have been proved equally effective at cutting.

 

[V4NT0M]

The human mind.

 

[Von Smallhausen]

Maybe the .450 Martini Henry could be put in there ?

Definitely agree with the Colt.45 1911. It is a hundred years old and still going.

I would also have the aircraft carrier in my list.

 

[Uther]

Matchlock musket! The English Civil War would not have been the same without it.
Then,of course,the flintlock was used by everyone for over 150 years so that blows the AK out of the water!

 

[Glaucus]

Matchlock musket! The English Civil War would not have been the same without it.
Then,of course,the flintlock was used by everyone for over 150 years so that blows the AK out of the water!

Ones a type of weapon, the other is a specific model.

For a specific model, nothing in history beats the ak47.

 

[LabR@t]

Yes me! I'm the worlds great weapon.


I'm guessing you're only talking about hand held weapons?



Yes, but since the invention and mainstream use of the firearm battles have resulted in more casualties in a shorter time period.

And there's nothing special about the AK-47/AKM, I certainly would not take that weapon into battle.

I thought we are talking about most influential weapon not most deaths?

 

[Vulcan]

I thought we are talking about most influential weapon not most deaths?

I thought we were discussing world changing weapons, as stated in the OP?

 

[Glaucus]

And there's nothing special about the AK-47/AKM, I certainly would not take that weapon into battle.

It doesn't need to be your choice, we are talking about what has influenced and changed the world the most. The ak47 falls into that at the top.

the list needs to decide whether it is going to be class of weapon or specific models.

 

[LabR@t]

But they have and will continue to do so. They have changed the entire world, And in the ak47, they have probably killed more people than any other weapon in history, used in more wars than anything else.


Even other weapons have not lasted long.

Some one said sword, but there are a 1001 different swords just like guns. Each was around for a limited period.
Also ancient weapons have rarely taken over the entire world. They have been limited to certain areas/countries.

swords have been killing people for thousands of years I suspect they have killed more people than an AK-47.

 

[Cosimo]

The machine gun.

 

[Will Lucky]

I would say the earliest firearms were world changing. No longer did people have to train for years in order to become skilled with using a Bow replaced by merely weeks of training, and more importantly you needed very little skill in order to use one.

 

[Glaucus]

swords have been killing people for thousands of years I suspect they have killed more people than an AK-47.

Again that is a class of weapon, not a specific model.
There is 10 or thousands of different sword models.
You can not compare a class with a type.

And ak47 is used around the world, sheer number of them outweigh any type of sword.

 

[LabR@t]

I thought we were discussing world changing weapons, as stated in the OP?

influential == world changing ? Surely?

 

[LabR@t]

type or specific type be easier to discuss if we knew.

 

[Podmonkey]

The knife. The oldest crafted weapon/tool and one of the most useful.

The Bill. Medieval commoners weapon, usually adapted from a farmers tool which made them readily available and became one of the staple weapons of the 15th century when the era of the knight dissapeared and peasants were the main workhorses on the field.

 

[Vulcan]

It doesn't need to be your choice, we are talking about what has influenced and changed the world the most. The ak47 falls into that at the top.

the list needs to decide whether it is going to be class of weapon or specific models.

How has the AK changed the world? Other than being used by a bunch of poor farmers with little effect who would otherwise use another weapon if no AK existed.