Most people think of the Caribbean when they think of buccaneering pirates, but in reality pirates have been a plague upon civilization for more than 500 years. The threat continues to this day in certain corners of the world.

Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the flags flown to identify a pirate ship about to attack, during the early 18th century (the later part of the Golden Age of Piracy).

The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today, the skull and crossbones symbol on a black flag - most often, depicted with the crossed bones below the mandible (if present), was used during the 1710s by a number of pirate captains. It went on to become the most commonly used pirate flag during the 1720s, although other designs were also in use.

Flying a Jolly Roger was a reliable way of proving oneself a pirate. Just possessing or using a Jolly Roger was considered proof that one was a criminal pirate rather than something more legitimate; only a pirate would dare fly the Jolly Roger, as he was already under threat of execution.