20 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PIRATES:
Pirates are robbers who, for their own interests or in the service of a government, commit robberies at sea, sometimes on the coast. Piracy originated in ancient times but was most prevalent during the 17th century. We've extracted 20 facts about celebrity thieves.
The pirates captured Gaius Julius Caesar on one occasion and held him hostage for 38 days. He was asked for a ransom of 20 talents of gold (Talent = unit of measurement at the time), and he laughed at them and said that they clearly did not know who he was and advised them to ask for 50 talents. He later ordered that all and one of the captive pirates be found and crucified on the cross.
Prior to the execution itself in 1730, pirates Oliver Levasseur sent a message to the assembled crowd, shouting, "Find my treasure, one who can understand it!" People are still searching.
Most of the things we know about pirates today come from the book, "A General History of the Robbery and Murder of the Most Notorious Pirates," written and published in 1724 by Captain Charles Johnson in England. Since this was a pseudonym, the real author was never discovered.
In the 1800s, the US earmarked about 20% of the state budget to pay pirates not to attack their ships (they were already an independent state at the time, which is why the British stopped protecting them).
In 1553, China invited 120 monks to abandon their peaceful meditation life and deal with pirates. These monks were all but not peaceful - they were the ultimate Kung Fu fighters who killed all and one pirate in 4 battles that same year, with only a few casualties on their side. They later lost interest in the war and the pirates took over the sea again.
The stories of pirates burying gold are myths after all. Admittedly, only a few have done so, such as Captain William Kidd, who tried to hide his pirate past and return to New York.
The Pirates have had very short careers. Even the most famous in the world, such as Blackbeard or Bartholomew Roberts, have successfully ruled the sea for only a couple of years. Roberts, whose career was considered long and successful - lasted only three years.
Pirate flags were not always black with skulls and bones crossed. For example, on the Blackbeardo's flag was an entire skeleton and a bleeding heart. The flag everyone was most afraid of was Bloody Red, the flag that said "no quarter" - which meant that no life would be spared.
The pirates rarely abducted "treasure" (gold, jewels ..). Most of the spoils were food, water, alcohol, weapons, clothing and humans.
During the 17th century, more than one million Europeans were captured and sold as slaves by Algerian pirates.
William Dampier (1651-1715) was a pirate who wrote down all geographical and natural details in his diary. His records were so rich that a century later served as the basis for Charles Darwin's legendary journey.
Only two pirates are known with wooden legs, and even these are not considered to be 'real' pirates (François Le Clerc, known as Jambe de Bois and Cornelis Corneliszoon Jol).
There are no historical records that a pirate had a parrot as a pet.
Arrrr! The famous pirate exclamation is not a pirate at all. It was invented by actor Robert Newton in the movie Treasure Island (1950).
- Most pirate crews had a code of rules that all members had to acknowledge or sign. These rules included penalties for lying, stealing or fighting each other on board (fight on shore was allowed).
The Caribbean was the ideal place for pirates: there was little or no law, there were plenty of uninhabited islands for hideouts, and many merchant ships traveled through the region. But the Golden Age pirates didn't just act there. Many crossed the ocean and organized attacks on the west coast of Africa. Others sailed all the way to the Indian Ocean to pillage ships near South Asia.
Although it rarely happened, women were also pirates. The most famous examples are Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who sailed with "Calico Jack" Rackham in 1719. Bonny and Read dressed up as men, and reportedly fought just as well or better than men. When Rackham and his crew were captured, Bonny and Read stated that they were both pregnant - which saved them from hanging.
Not all “golden age” pirates were hardened, uneducated, poor criminals. Some of them came from higher social classes and wealthy families. One of the most famous examples was Major Stede Bonnet, who was a wealthy owner of a plantation in Barbados before equipping the ship and becoming a pirate in 1717. Legend has it that he did this to escape from his wife, who kept nagging him.