annie oakley... or phœbe ann mosey?

tonight, i returned to my high school to attend the annual spring musical. this year's choice was the always favorite, anny get your gun . . . . one of the few shows that i really dig through and through. and when i say dig, i mean i know a couple of the songs... i've never been much of a theatre guy. (*and yes. i just spelled it theatre.* and yes. i realize that this is an insanely long line of italics, and i should probably end it soon. like now.) truth is . . . . i think i like annie get your gun because it's about annie oakley . . . . a real pop culture icon.

annie oakley has an interesting past . . . . one that is somewhat covered through the plot of the musical . . . . but one that is best examined outside of the confines of a dark theatre house (we do want to see all of the details of course.) truth is, annie oakley is actually phœbe ann mosey. at least that was her given name at birth...

she was born on august 13, 1860 in a cabin burrowed in the rural western outskirts of ohio. funny thing is, her parents were both pennsylvania quakers . . . . sound like a gun family? well anyways... her childhood was rather unstable due to the fact that her father and subsequent stepfather for that matter, died within a few years of eachother. this caused her to sport a somewhat spotty attendance record at school, and before long, she was hunting to support her struggling family.

as i'm sure you know, annie oakley's name became synonymous with shooting.