Here’s a familiar face, Annie Oakley was one of the most well-known shooters in the Wild West, and she also happens to be a woman. Annie rose to fame at the tender age of 15 years old because of her sharpshooting skills. Did you know that Annie Oakley was not her real name? She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey. By age 8, she started hunting, shooting, and trapping to support her family through hard times after her father passed away.
Oakley made a name for herself as a trained shooter as well. She married Frank E. Butler, who just happened to be her former rival and fellow marksman. Later on, the couple joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which turned her into an international star. Definitely one woman with a lot of talent!
Herbert Hoover
While many might be tempted to look down on Hoover since he did preside over the Great Depression, it's possible that he did far more to keep people fed and alive than almost any other man in history. At five feet, eleven and a half inches, Hoover was in a prime leadership position to eradicate hunger following the Second World War.
Thanks to Hoover's knowledge of Germany, he toured many of the former Axis nations and produced reports about food requirements. The programs that emerged from the reports fed three and a half million children. Not bad for a president.
Butch Cassidy
It is hard to imagine that this young man photographed here is actually one of the most infamous outlaws and bank robbers of the Old West. Robert LeRoy Parker and his accomplice, Harry Longabaugh (aka "The Sundance Kid"), would torment the southern US states and build themselves a shameful reputation that would go down in crime history.
Parker worked briefly at a Wyoming butchery, where he would earn the name “Butch.” In 1894, Butch Cassidy was imprisoned after his first bank robbery of a San Miguel Valley Bank. This photo is a memento that survived Butch Cassidy’s first arrest and time in prison.
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, had a tragically short-lived presidency, serving only two years before his untimely demise at the age of fifty-seven. Plagued by poor dietary choices, excessive smoking, and ongoing heart problems, Harding faced numerous health challenges. Compounding his struggles, he battled with depression, which exacerbated the burdens of his personal life and the pressures of his presidency.
His untimely passing resulted from a culmination of factors, including an acute gastrointestinal attack and the overwhelming stress it inflicted, ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. Harding's presidency remains a somber reminder of the toll that physical and mental health can exact on even the highest office in the land.
Charles Dickens
Renowned for his enchanting literary masterpieces, including "Oliver Twist," "A Christmas Carol," and "A Tale of Two Cities," Charles Dickens possessed a remarkable gift for weaving captivating worlds. However, Dickens' path to literary greatness faced early challenges as he left school at the tender age of 12, compelled by his father's imprisonment over debt.
Determined to forge his own destiny, young Charles toiled in a boot factory, spending arduous 10-hour days as a court stenographer and law clerk. At the age of 22, he ventured into the realm of journalism, embarking on a journey that culminated in the publication of his first collection of stories in 1836. From these humble beginnings, Dickens' literary prowess would soar, captivating readers worldwide and securing his place as one of history's most beloved authors.