Blackbeard the Pirate Bahamas Blackbeard Pirate Stamp

One of history’s most famous pirates was called Blackbeard. He sailed the seas around 300 years ago, robbing from and battling other ships. Blackbeard was said to have had fourteen wives and was known for his frightening black beard which covered his whole face. The beard was parted into two ‘pony tails’ which he tied with ribbons. Blackbeard used onboard cannons to fight other ships and in 1718, he was finally tracked down by a Royal Naval ship and a blazing sea battle was fought. That was the end of Blackbeard’s days as a pirate.

The ‘Skull and Crossbones’ Flag Skull and Crossbones, the flag of the pirates on a wooden mast.

The famous ‘Skull and Crossbones’ pirate flag is also known as the ‘Jolly Roger’. With its ‘terrifying’ skull, the flag was supposed to scare other ships into giving up their goods. Some pirate ships did fly the Jolly Roger, but the truth is that the ‘Skull and Crossbones’ flag is used more often in storybooks and films than it was in real life. Most pirates of old used plain black flags.

Real Life Treasure and Skeletons

Rumour has it that years ago, Blackbeard buried treasure on Oak Island on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island is said to contain a deep pit that is thought by some to hide the buried pirate treasure. Six people have died looking for the treasure on Oak Island, and the famous pit is thought to be booby trapped to stop people finding the loot. Man-made flood tunnels are said cleverly to fill with sea water whenever a treasure hunter gets too close.

Superstition at Sea

Pirates were sailors, and many sailors used to be very superstitious people. They believed all sorts of odd things. Many pirates believed whistling onboard a ship would bring ill winds and that bringing a woman onto the ship was very bad luck. Some pirates believed piercing their ears with gold or silver would make their eyesight better, because they thought gold and silver were good for the eyes.

The Pirates of Today

You might think pirates belong to history books, but there are still pirates around on today’s seas. In the waters between the Red Sea and the India Ocean and also just off the Somali coast, small groups of pirates still hijack large ships and steal cargo.

Usually, modern day pirates use small motorboats so they can catch up with big boats and sail away quickly with whatever they steal. Just like the pirates of old, some modern pirates can still be very rebellious and dangerous at sea today.