The Bogardus glass ball target is the forerunner of the modern clay pigeon, intended to simulate live pigeon shooting. The glass balls could be filled with feathers and stopped with a small cork to show an obvious hit. The American inventor of these targets and self-proclaimed champion wing shot of the world, Capt. A.H. Bogardus, publically demonstrated the ingenuity of his target system as well as his skill at arms at Gilmore's Garden, New York on 3rd January 1878 where he broke 5,000 glass ball targets in a marathon shoot. He achieved this incredible feat in 500 minutes with only occasional breaks for refreshment, the changing of barrels on his gun to avoid overheating, and for his assistants to treat his right arm and shoulder with arnica and brandy which was understandably rather swollen and painful from the continuous recoil of his shots