Sharpshooter. She never attended a regular school and was introduced and taught to shoot by her father in the woods around the farm where she lived. During hard times, she helped support her family with the game she caught. Her career as a sharpshooter started at age 17, when she defeated the noted marksman Frank E. Butler at a competition in Cincinnati, Ohio. The two eventually married and traveled with the Buffalo Bill Show for 17 years (1885 to 1902). She assumed the show business name of Annie Oakley. On a trip to Europe, Queen Victoria of England was quite impressed with her abilities, and on one occasion, the crown prince of Germany encouraged her to shoot a cigarette from his mouth. Her expertness in marksmanship at the height of her career made her the best-known cultural icon in the United States. At 30 paces, she could slice a playing card held edgewise, shoot holes through coins at a similar distance, and scramble eggs in midair. She shot ashes out of cigarettes, snuffed candles, and shot corks out of bottles. A railroad accident in 1901 partially paralyzed her, but she continued to tour regularly. In 1916, she and Frank made Pinehurst, North Carolina, their winter retirement home. Annie became a teacher at the famous resort known for its golf course, fox hunting, and trapshooting range. She taught women how to defend themselves as well as the fine art of trap shooting. Her health began to fail, suffering from pernicious anemia and possibly lead poisoning from all the ammunition she'd handled. In 1922, the couple moved back to Darke County, Ohio, where the anemia took her life. When Frank was told, he simply stopped eating and died 18 days later. The couple is buried near the woods where little Annie Mosey first hunted and trapped to sustain her impoverished family.
Sharpshooter. She never attended a regular school and was introduced and taught to shoot by her father in the woods around the farm where she lived. During hard times, she helped support her family with the game she caught. Her career as a sharpshooter started at age 17, when she defeated the noted marksman Frank E. Butler at a competition in Cincinnati, Ohio. The two eventually married and traveled with the Buffalo Bill Show for 17 years (1885 to 1902). She assumed the show business name of Annie Oakley. On a trip to Europe, Queen Victoria of England was quite impressed with her abilities, and on one occasion, the crown prince of Germany encouraged her to shoot a cigarette from his mouth. Her expertness in marksmanship at the height of her career made her the best-known cultural icon in the United States. At 30 paces, she could slice a playing card held edgewise, shoot holes through coins at a similar distance, and scramble eggs in midair. She shot ashes out of cigarettes, snuffed candles, and shot corks out of bottles. A railroad accident in 1901 partially paralyzed her, but she continued to tour regularly. In 1916, she and Frank made Pinehurst, North Carolina, their winter retirement home. Annie became a teacher at the famous resort known for its golf course, fox hunting, and trapshooting range. She taught women how to defend themselves as well as the fine art of trap shooting. Her health began to fail, suffering from pernicious anemia and possibly lead poisoning from all the ammunition she'd handled. In 1922, the couple moved back to Darke County, Ohio, where the anemia took her life. When Frank was told, he simply stopped eating and died 18 days later. The couple is buried near the woods where little Annie Mosey first hunted and trapped to sustain her impoverished family.
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