ANNIE OAKLEY

LITTLE SURE SHOT

Annie Oakley (1860–1926) was one of the most famous women in American history and an international celebrity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, best known for her phenomenal talent as a sharpshooter.

Here is an overview of her life and the status of information related to her:

• Real Name: Phoebe Ann Mosey (or Moses).

• Childhood: Born in a log cabin in rural Darke County, Ohio, she was raised in poverty. She began shooting and hunting at a young age to provide for her widowed mother and siblings, selling the game she shot to local markets and hotels.

• The Match: At age 15, she won a shooting contest against professional marksman Frank E. Butler. She shot 25 out of 25 targets, while he missed one. Butler fell in love with her, and they were married in 1876. He became her manager and assistant, and their marriage lasted 50 years.

• Career and Fame:

  • She adopted the stage name Annie Oakley (likely from a neighborhood in Cincinnati).

  • In 1885, she and Butler joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, where she quickly became the top female star.

  • Sitting Bull (the Lakota Sioux leader) was so impressed by her that he adopted her and gave her the nickname "Little Sure Shot."

  • Her feats of marksmanship were legendary: she could shoot a dime tossed in the air, split the edge of a playing card at 30 paces, and shoot a cigarette out of her husband's mouth.

  • She performed for royalty, including Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

  • In 1894, she was filmed for one of Thomas Edison's earliest Kinetoscopes, a precursor to modern movies.

• Legacy: Oakley was a trailblazer for women, promoting the idea that they should learn to shoot for self-defense. She also maintained a modest, refined demeanor, which contrasted with the rowdiness often associated with the "Wild West."

Public Domain

• Photographs and Images: Many photographs of Annie Oakley, who died in 1926, are in the public domain, particularly those published before January 1, 1929, in the United States. You can find many such images on sites like Wikimedia Commons or the Library of Congress archives.

• The Person: The person, Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Mosey), is a historical figure, and facts about her life are not subject to copyright.

• The 1950s TV Show: The 1954-1957 Annie Oakley television series has many episodes that have fallen into the public domain.