May 11, 1887

Outside the London arena, William F. Cody sat astride his milk-white stallion, Charlie, and inspected his show’s performers. He had brought his entire outfit—two-hundred and eighteen performers, one-hundred and eighty horses, eighteen buffalo, ten elk, five wild Texas steers, four donkeys, two deer and a couple of bears, not to mention a stagecoach, a replica log cabin, canvas scenery, wagons, thirty-six brass instruments, rifles, saddles, and more bullets than a man could count—...