Abby Connolly
You may have heard a lot of cultural references about famous American sharpshooter Annie Oakley. But do you know her origin story?
Annie was born in Ohio in 1860. She had a rough upbringing, and her family had fallen on hard times after both her father and stepfather passed away when she was young. As a little girl, she was sent to live with two different families and learned valuable life skills.
When she was just eight years old, Annie began to learn how to hunt game so she could sell anything she shot to make money and support her family. Over the years, she became a lot more knowledgeable and gifted at using firearms.
At 15, Annie entered her first shooting competition against marksman Frank E. Butler. She shot 25 shots and won over Frank, who had missed one shot. Impressed by her skills, Frank and Annie began dating and married each other in 1876.
The couple became a traveling duo, and Annie and Frank would stop at vaudeville circuits and circuses to wow crowds with their shooting skills. Before long, Annie became the show’s real star, so Frank stepped aside and started working as her manager and assistant when they joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
Annie would perform outstanding tricks like shooting things out of the air and shooting cigarettes from Frank’s lips. She eventually gained the nickname “Little Sure Shot,” and people could not get enough of her thrilling performances.
Annie’s confidence and skills showed women around the world that they were just as capable as men when it came to things like handling firearms. She was very empowering and always took herself seriously regarding her performances.
As Annie’s popularity as a performer grew, she received opportunities to perform abroad. She performed at Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in England and visited countries like Spain and France.
In the early 1900s, Annie had to take a break from performing due to an injury from a train wreck and a legal battle involving a female criminal who used a false name similar to hers to get away with crimes.
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