In the late 1980s, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein hired Canadian artillery expert Gerald Bull to build a 'supergun' called Project Babylon, which was intended to fire satellites into space. The project included the construction of a smaller gun, Baby Babylon, and a larger gun, Big Babylon, which would have been over 170 yards long. However, Bull was assassinated in 1990, and the components of the supergun were seized by British customs. The project was a spectacular failure, representing the dark side of technological ambition.

Project Babylon is a symbol of the dangers of unchecked technological ambition and the intersection of science and geopolitics. Its story has been told in various poems and articles as a cautionary tale about the misuse of scientific knowledge. The supergun's almost mythical proportions have made it a subject of fascination for poets who write about the limits of human power. The assassination of Gerald Bull adds a tragic dimension to the story, making it a powerful metaphor for the costs of ambition.