Annie Oakley – born Phoebe Ann Mosey in 1860 in rural Ohio, learned marksmanship at age eight with her father’s old Kentucky rifle. By her teens, she hunted to feed her family and paid off the farm mortgage with game sales. At 15, the tiny sharpshooter defeated vaudeville pro Frank Butler in a tense 25-bird match (25-24), marrying him soon after. Nicknamed “Little Sure Shot” by Sitting Bull, she joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1885, thrilling crowds by splitting edge-on playing cards at 30 paces, snuffing candle flames, shattering tossed dimes, and shooting cigarettes from her husband’s lips.

Trap shooting began in 18th-century England originally using live pigeons sprung from traps. Glass balls replaced live birds, but shattered dangerously. In 1880, Cincinnati inventor George Ligowsky created the first saucer-shaped clay targets— cheap, safe, and breakable with a satisfying ring — launching the modern sport of Trap Shooting. The first major clay shooting events followed shortly after; automatic target throwers appeared in 1909.

Oakley championed the sport, smashing 100 straight clays in a 1887 London match and winning thousands in prizes. Her dazzling skill helped transform trap into a popular, Olympic and recreational pastime. Annie passed away in 1926.