Buffalo Bill show, feat. Annie Oakley (date unknown, likely 1885-1890)
Annie Oakley was a famous sharpshooter in the late 1800s who toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
She could split a playing card edge-on at 30 paces, hit dimes people threw into the air, hole a thrown playing card multiple times before it struck the ground, and shoot cigarettes from her husband's lips. She could also hit targets while standing on the back of a moving horse. Even at age 62, she was setting accuracy records in clay pigeon competitions against the best in the country.
In 1875 she met her eventual husband, a marksman himself who bet $100 ($5000 today) that no one could defeat him. Then-15yo Oakley defeated him by one shot in a 25 shot match. They went on to marry.
After being injured in a car crash and a period of failing health, Oakley died at age 66. Her husband was distraught, stopped eating, and died 18 days later.
Oakley shooting targets over her shoulder, date unknown,
Oakley in 1902,
An 1894 drawn circus ad, Oakley shooting targets while standing on a moving horse. Apparently, audience safety was not given a great deal of consideration.
5 replies
Also interesting, from wikipedia. The Butler referenced was Annie's husband.
Her secret? The stability corset.
That's a sad ending to a talented person. How come she never gotten her own movie?
She did! I haven't seen it and I really should. There was a musical, and a film made from the musical. Apparently it was somewhat fictionalized though, so it's more of a "loosely based on the life of" kind of thing, than it was a straight up biopic.
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun (film)
Was she that good as a sharpshooter if she didn't even manage to hit the huge spectator stands? Come on, even a toddler could hit them - and she missed? Pathetic.