Supergun

April 11, 1990 - It was on this day that customs officers in England confiscated sections of the barrel for a massive supergun. The cargo that was bound for Iraq was disguised as "petrochemical pressure vessels."

It was all part of Project Babylon, a top-secret plan by Saddam Hussein to build a weapon that could launch projectiles into orbit. One theory is that he would then be able to drop missiles anywhere in the world.

If the barrel of the supergun had been assembled, it would have measured over 500 feet long and weighed over 1600 tons.

The mastermind behind the supergun was a Canadian weapons expert named Gerald Bull. Bull had been working on long-range artillery projects for many years, but this was his boldest and most controversial endeavor.

A few weeks before the supergun was confiscated, Bull was shot and killed when he answered the door of his apartment in Belgium. It's alleged that a Mossad kill team was behind the assassination.