Annie oakley timeline

Both lucky and extremely talented, Annie Oakley used her astonishing marksmanship to escape a poor childhood in Ohio and become the first female superstar in what had been a male-dominated profession. Her father died when she was young, and Annie was sent to the county poor farm. At age 10, she was sent to work for a family who treated her cruelly -- she called them "the wolves.

Annie helped support her family by shooting game in the nearby woods and selling it to a local shopkeeper. Her marksmanship paid off the mortgage on her mother's house and led her to enter a shooting match with touring champion on Thanksgiving Day To Butler's astonishment, the year-old beat him in the competition. Butler fell in love with her and they were married the next year.

For the next few years, Frank toured with a male partner, performing feats of marksmanship on stage. But when his partner fell ill on May Day in , Annie replaced him and won instant accolades for her shooting skills. Soon Butler began managing the act, leaving the spotlight to Annie.

Annie Oakley (born August 13,

Around this time Annie adopted the professional name "Oakley," apparently from the town of Oakley, Ohio. At one event in St. She joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West in and performed in the show for most of the next 17 years. Oakley dazzled audiences with her shotgun abilities, splitting cards on their edges, snuffing candles, and shooting the corks off bottles.

While maintaining her modest wardrobe, she also knew how to please a crowd, blowing kisses and pouting theatrically whenever she intentionally missed a shot. Oakley's career took off when she performed with Buffalo Bill Cody's show at the American Exposition in London in Oakley met Queen Victoria, who called her a "very clever little girl.