Annie Oakley died on November 3, 1924 from pernicious anemia. Her life is a testament to the strength and determination of American frontierswomen. Skilled with weapons and equal to many of her male counterparts, Annie Oakley remains an integral part of western history.

Born in Ohio on August 13, 1860, Annie’s given name was Phoebe Ann Oakley Mozee. She had a total of seven siblings and came from a childhood of economic hardship and parental death. She never received any sort of a formal education. When her mother lost her second husband, Annie was put into care for a while but suffered abuse and was returned to her mother who married for a third time. Oakley’s childhood made her tough and resilient and perhaps a bit of a loner.

Oakley was an expert marksman from a very early age and started practicing her shooting skills at the tender age of 9. At the age of 16, she was already receiving money for her shooting games and entered her first professional competition against her husband to be Frank Butler (1850-1926). They married in 1876.

In the early 1880s, Oakley traveled with her husband on the Vaudeville circuit, performing shooting feats and contests for a paying audience. They went across the country together where Oakley got to meet many famous people of the day, including Sitting Bull who she became friends with. Sitting Bull gave Annie Oakley the nickname of “Little Sure Shot.” Her skills as a marksmen were never questioned by man or woman, rich or poor, townsfolk or royal. Her place in history was quickly secured.

It was in 1885 that the star crossed (or rifle crossed) couple joined the famous Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. Butler stepped aside so that his wife could become the female star of the Wild West show. They traveled all over Europe and even performed for Queen Victoria. Oakley won numerous medals and awards for her skills. They stayed with the show for 16 years. Even in her own time, Oakley was considered a role model for other women from both the States and the rest of the world.

Despite offering to lead a female regimen in World War I, Oakley ended up spending her time with the Red Cross during the war and spending time for her famous show dog, Dave. A comeback was planned for the early 1920s but a car accident put both Butlers out of commission for some time.

Oakley and Butler stayed together until the very end passing away within three weeks of each other in November of 1926. Their story is truly endearing and inspirational and Annie Oakley will forever be remembered as America’s cowgirl. Her role in the perception of women and creating the wild stories of the American west will endure long after the last remnants of western boomtowns crumble and disappear.

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Forty years after the decline and fall of a publishing empire that once sold millions of magazines each month for more than three decades, former Popular Publications, Inc. President Henry Steeger reflected:

“Pulps were the principal entertainment vehicle for millions of Americans. They were an un-flickering, uncolored TV screen upon which the reader could spread the most glorious imagination he possessed…on dull, no-gloss paper that was kind to the eyes.”

Counting British “penny dreadful” novels and the popular successes of early 20th century adventure authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jack London and Upton Sinclair as inspiration, the concept of the “pulp fiction magazine” – or “pulps” to the layman – is a uniquely American phenomenon that be accredited directly to one man: Frank A. Munsey. The former telegraph operator from Maine was able to utilize a method of high-speed printing on cheap pulp paper (hence the name) that allowed him to take his magazines to turn-of-the-century newsstands with a price tag of 10 cents, at a time when copies of more highbrow fare, printed on glossy paper, went for a quarter.

By the 1920s, dozens of imitators and competitors had picked up on that highly lucrative business model, creating magazines like Black Mask, Amazing Stories, Marvel Tales (the forbearer of Marvel Comics) and, most importantly, Weird Tales, in the process. Though the content of the pulps covered every genre imaginable - adventure, western, fantasy, crime, mystery, war, aviation and more – the stories featured in Weird Tales introduced pre-Word War II America to literary titans whose work is still admired (and imitated) today: Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan and Solomon Kane), Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 151, The Martian Chronicles), Isaac Asimov (I, Robot), Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and Robert Bloch (Psycho), to name but a few of their innumerable contributors.

According to Bloch, the fictional worlds produced by that formidable stable of talent was “the work of writers inspired by the opportunity to create stories on a more literate level than was commonly accepted of the period and transcend the taboos and challenge the smugness of a Norman Rockwell view of America.” And, in truth, the secret cults, blood wielding maniacs and far-flung cosmic utopias of the best pulp stories were most definitely some of the most subversive material available during FDR-era (barring the underground pornography pamphlets known as “Tijuana Bibles,” that is).

While such esteemed writers struggled away for pennies a page with aspirations of one day seeing print in the Saturday Evening Post or Cosmopolitan, other publishers, most notably Street and Smith Publications, created solo “hero pulps” that featured the monthly, novel-length exploits of characters like William Gibson’s The Shadow and Lester Dent’s Doc Savage, among many, many others. It was these “super-heroes” that later gave birth to the pulps’ would-be successors: the comic book.

By the early 1950s, all but a few of the original pulps had been forgotten in lieu of the fully-illustrated – though far less risqué - adventures of the likes of Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and the rest of their cape-clad ilk. But the influence of those pulp progenitors on some of America’s most valuable intellectual properties can still be felt today. For instance, Doc Savage’s oft-mentioned Arctic retreat, the Fortress of Solitude, was later “borrowed” by DC Comics’ writers to stand in as Superman’s secret citadel. Whether such maneuvers were a loving tribute or outright theft, the thinking behind them was undoubtedly thus: “Who’ll remember those cheap pulps anyway?”

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The history of Santa Claus is so embedded in the psyche of modern society, that no matter that religions change, are rejected and revised time and time again, faith in a magical figure that gives out toys to children remains with us. Whether he is called Sinta Klaus, Santa Claus, Father Christmas or old Saint Nick, the gentleman in red seems an almost permanent fixture in the history of western civilization.

The stories, folk tales and myths that surround the Santa figure have traveled from country to country over the centuries leaving us with an assortment of images, descriptions, songs and traditions that somehow seem to come together year after year in line with other western festivals such as Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanza. The modern religious festivals replace the pagan celebrations of winter, marking the end of the calendar year and are a time for celebration, remembrance, charity and of course, being good for goodness’ sake.

Although much of the modern American image of Santa stems from the advertising efforts of large corporations in the dawn of American consumerism in the 1920s and 1930s, the history of the legend has European origins beginning in ancient Turkey.

Towards the end of the third century of the Common Era, Nicholas of Turkey, (often believed to have been either a bishop or monk or at the least a man of spiritual nature) had a reputation for extreme generosity. Early stories tell accounts of marriage dowries given to young girls without fathers and presents given anonymously (through open door or window) to poor children and orphans. As the legend goes, Nicholas secretly traveled by horse (or deer and sleigh in another version) across the region distributing gifts to worthy recipients, although accounts do differ. Whatever he did and however he traveled, Nicholas set an example that sent a resounding message.

Nicholas was sainted and December 6 was set aside as his remembrance day. As the years passed, the legend of Saint Nicholas traveled across Europe embraced by catholic and protestant alike. By the 17^th century, St. Nick has established his presence across the Western European map, finding firm roots among both the Dutch and German cultures.

In modern Germany, December 6 is the day traditional families set their shoes in front of the fire along with food for the deer (or horses) and wait for Sinta Klaus to show up in the middle of the night, feed his furry friends and replace empty shoes with ones full of candy and sweet treats (compare with the hanging of stockings here). Dutch immigrants brought the image and story of the do gooder magical traveler with them when they came to the Americas.

Of course, the story of Santa Claus, as he became known after crossing the Atlantic (In the U.K. Father Christmas plays a close second to the sobriquet of Santa), has morphed over the years and been adopted by the variety of American subcultures as a symbol of good magic and reward for children. Santa is both present and future as he surmises the personal history of the old year and presents the first big step towards the coming year.

The history of Mr. Claus is the history of children and it is for children the story remains alive. Whether he comes down the chimney or sneaks in the back door, leaves presents at the end of the bed or under the tree, Santa offers a unique brand of optimism to children and adults alike. He is the human embodiment of the continuance of our collective past and the stories, songs and legends of this most famous of historical figures looks to be around for a long time to come.

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