Born Phoebe Ann Mosey on August 13, 1860, on the rural western border of Ohio, Annie Oakley began hunting at age 9 to support her siblings and widowed mother. She became so skilled at selling the hunted game that she was able to pay off the mortgage to her mother's farm when she was 15. In 1885, she joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show where she became one of the top acts, along with Sitting Bull. In fact, she even traveled to Europe and performed for Queen Victoria and other crowned heads of state. At the request of the Prince of Prussia, she shot the ashes off a cigarette. Adventurous and brave, Oakley offered her services and 50 "lady sharpshooters" to President William McKinley during the Spanish-American War, but her offer was not accepted. She continued to show courage, suing and winning a libel case against newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst after he published a false story about her. In her 60s, Oakley supported women's rights and other causes and continued to set shooting records until a year before her death in 1926. InAnnie Oakley, read about this remarkable woman whose sharpshooting skills and quick wit won her many fans and admirers.

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Excerpted from Annie Oakley by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack
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