Pirates of the Past: True Stories of Treasure and Adventure

Imagine living on a ship, sailing around the sea, and having your very own crew. If you were a Pirate, then you would! Pirates influence art, music, movies, poetry, and novels. So, what’s stopping you from learning about them? Let’s learn about four famous Pirates. The first Pirate we will learn about today, is Edward Teach, or more famously known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard was famous for entwining lit match’s, ribbon and hemp, in his beard (hence the name!), so that his head was always surrounded by a cloud of smoke, giving him an intimidating look.  He sailed the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy (the 18th century), until he was killed by the royal navy. From his famous ship, the queen Annes revenge, to his beard, Blackbeard is an interesting and famous Pirate. A very famous female Pirate, is Anne Bonney. She was born in Ireland, but she left her husband, and disguised herself as a man, to join John “Calico Jack” Rackham’s crew, and become a Pirate. Despite the fact that she is so famous, very little is known about Bonney’s life. The first record of her life was in Charles Johnsons book, a general history of Pirates. Another famous female Pirate is Mary Reads. Just like Anne Bonney, she disguised herself as a man to join Rackham’s crew, and she is famous for fighting alongside Rackham, and Bonney. Rackham and his crew were captured, but Reads and Bonney both escaped execution by claiming to be pregnant. Reads fell ill and died in her cell, but what happened to Bonney is still unknown. The last Pirate we will learn about today is Bartholomew Roberts, or Blackbart. He was a Welsh Pirate, and is famous for capturing over 400 ships! Roberts also invented his own Pirate code. The code was Based on fairness. Fun fact: Roberts is credited with creating the famous skull and cross bones flag! Now let’s learn about Pirate folklore. Pirates believed that when they died, they would go to Davy Jones locker! A terrible place deep below the sea. There were many Pirates in the world, from real Pirates (such as the ones we learnt about today) to fictional ones (such as captain Hook, and Long John Silver). You could learn more about Pirates or, watch a movie or read a book about them! They are the inspiration for many books, movies, art, and poetry!