Welcome to my blog! Today I will be giving you a glimpse into the World of Pirates.
From this point on, only Pirates and Pirate enthusiast are welcome! If you are ready we will proceed.
Good Mornin'! It be National, "talk like a Pirate day"! So gather your eye patches and Pirate movies for a great day!
“International Talk like a Pirate Day
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is annually held on September 19. What started as a fun concept in which people imitate pirate talk has turned into an event that receives media attention worldwide.
What do people do?
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is celebrated in more than 40 countries worldwide. It is a fun day that involves people talking like pirates. Some people dress in pirate costumes as well. It is celebrated among fans in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
International Talk Like a Pirate Day receives media attention closer to and around September 19 each year. Some communities work with organizations such as Childhood Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care to raise funds or increase awareness of cancer support and research.
Public life
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a growing global observance but it is not a public holiday on September 19.
Background
John Baur (“Ol' Chumbucket”) and Mark Summers (“Cap'n Slappy”) are credited for creating the concept of International Talk Like A Pirate Day on June 6, 1995. However, out of respect World War II’s D-Day – the day of the Normandy Landings – on June 6, 1944, Baur and Summers choose not to dedicate International Talk Like A Pirate Day on June 6. Instead, they chose September 19 as the annual date for the event.
International Talk Like A Pirate Day was a low-key event until 2002, when it received media attention via syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry. The event’s popularity spread from that point onwards. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated among individuals, work colleagues, and charity and fundraising organizations around the world.
Symbols
Various phrases, such as “Ahoy”, “Arrr”, and “Aye aye”, are spoken on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Some people dress in pirate costumes that they make, buy or hire. Costumes include pirate swords, hats and eye patches. Some people have images of the skull and bones on hats, costumes or printed material to promote the day.
Blackbeard wasn't his real name
Well, you probably guessed that one, right? Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Thatch or Edward Teach: some original sources list it one way, some another. Blackbeard wasn't his real name
Well, you probably guessed that one, right? Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Thatch or Edward Teach: some original sources list it one way, some another.
Blackbeard learned from other pirates
Blackbeard started his piracy career while serving under the legendary Benjamin Hornigold. He wasn’t “Blackbeard” then: he was just one more pirate out of many. Hornigold saw potential in young Edward Teach and promoted him. Eventually, he gave Teach his own command as captain of a captured ship. The two were very successful while they worked together. Hornigold eventually accepted a pardon and Blackbeard set out on his own.
Blackbeard had one of the mightiest pirate ships ever to set sail
In November of 1717, Blackbeard captured La Concorde, a large French slaving vessel. He renamed the Queen Anne’s Revenge and kept it for himself, modifying it for piracy. He put 40 cannons on it, making it one of the most formidable pirate ships ever. With it, he terrorized the Atlantic and Caribbean for almost a year before the Queen Anne’s Revenge ran aground.
Blackbeard looked like a devil in battle
Blackbeard knew the importance of image in his line of work. Before battle, he would dress all in black, strap several pistols to his chest and put on a large black captain’s hat. Then, he would put slow burning fuses in his hair and beard. The fuses constantly sputtered and gave off smoke, which wreathed him in a perpetual greasy fog. He looked like a devil who had stepped right out of hell and onto a pirate ship and most of his victims simply surrendered their cargo rather than fight him. Blackbeard intimidated his opponents this way because it was good business: if they gave up without a fight, he could keep their ship and he lost fewer men.
Blackbeard had some famous friends
Besides Hornigold, Blackbeard sailed with some famous pirates. He was a friend of Charles Vane, who came to see him in North Carolina to try and enlist his help in establishing a pirate kingdom in the Caribbean (Blackbeard wasn’t interested, but his man and Vane’s had a legendary party). He sailed with Stede Bonnett, the “Gentleman Pirate” from the Barbados. Also, Blackbeard’s First Mate was a man named Israel Hands, and Robert Louis Stevenson borrowed the name for his classic Treasure Island.
Blackbeard went legit…sort of
In 1718, Blackbeard went to North Carolina and accepted a pardon from Governor Charles Eden. He may have wanted to leave piracy behind, but his retirement didn’t last long. Before long, Blackbeard had struck a deal with the crooked Governor: loot for protection. Eden helped Blackbeard appear legit, and Blackbeard shared his takings. It was an arrangement that benefitted both men until Blackbeard’s death.
Blackbeard went down fighting
Blackbeard wasn’t one to run from a fight. On November 22, 1718, Blackbeard was cornered by two Royal Navy sloops that had been sent to hunt him down. The pirate had relatively few men, as most of his men were on shore at the time, but he decided to fight. He almost got away, but in the end was brought down in hand-to-hand fighting on the deck of his ship. When Blackbeard was finally killed, they found five bullet wounds and twenty sword cuts on his body. His head was cut off and presented as proof to collect a bounty: his body was thrown into the water, and legend has it that it swam around the ship three times before sinking.
Blackbeard didn't leave behind any buried treasure
That’s a common myth about Blackbeard and other pirates like him. There are no accounts of Blackbeard ever burying treasure, and nothing attributable to him has ever been dug up. Much of the loot that he captured was vulnerable to the elements, like fabrics or cocoa, and burying it would have ruined it (and it certainly would be in bad shape today!). Still, treasure hunters like to look around his old haunts to see if maybe he did leave something behind.
Blackbeard wasn't the most successful pirate
Most people seem to think of Blackbeard as a sort of King of Pirates, perhaps the most successful pirate ever to sail the seven seas. This is far from the truth: other pirates were far more successful than Blackbeard. Henry Avery took a single treasure ship worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in 1695, which was far more than Blackbeard took in his whole career. “Black Bart” Roberts, a contemporary of Blackbeard, captured hundreds of ships, far more than Blackbeard ever did. Still, Blackbeard was an outstanding pirate, as such things go: he was an above average pirate captain for sure in terms of loot, even if he wasn’t the best ever.
Blackbeard's ship has been found
Researchers think they have discovered the wreck of the mighty Queen Anne’s Revenge along the North Carolina coast. Searches of the site have yielded treasures such as cannons, anchors, musket barrels, a bell, a broken drinking glass and part of a sword. Work on the site is ongoing and researchers hope to turn up more. It’s the closest thing to buried treasure the famed pirate left behind!
Black Beards Lost ship
I hope you have enjoyed my snippets from the web, regarding Pirates and their American history.
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