Target shooting with firearms
 dates back to the 14th century,
 shortly after the weapons were
 invented.  By the mid-19th
 century, target shooting with rifles
 had become a popular sport in the
 U.S.  Shooting was included in the
 first modern Olympics in 1896,
 when there were five shooting
 events among the nine sports on
 the program.  

Both men and women compete
 today in a variety of events. 
 There's free pistol, where 60
 shots are fired at a single
 stationary target.  Rapid fire pistol,
 where shots are fired at five
 different targets.  Moving target
 competition, reminiscent of the
 running wild boar competition held
 in 1900.  And trap and skeet
 shooting, where clay disks are
 sprung into the air and fired upon.  
 Air rifle and air pistol events were
 added in the 1980s.  There are
 several mixed events, where men
 and women compete equally. 

Shooting is one Olympic event
 where no one country dominates. 
 There were 13 different shooting
 events held at the Olympics in
 1992 and Gold was won by
 competitors from 7 different
 countries.