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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 60 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Pirates
| Perhaps the most famous pirate of all is Captain Kidd. What was his ultimate fate? | Pirates!
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He was hanged. Kidd met the fate of many pirates - the business end of a rope
| 'Blackbeard' is also one of the most famous pirates. What was his real name? | Pirates!
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Edward Teach. Maynard is the officer who killed Blackbeard
| The flag that sailed atop many pirate ships was called what? | Pirates!
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Jolly Roger. Skull and crossbones
| Francis Drake was a buccaneer who led a colorful life. Which statement is NOT true of him? | Pirates!
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Drake's memoirs created a scandal when published after his death. Quite a life - but no memoirs.
| Jean Lafitte was a pirate who provided assistance to America in what war? | Pirates!
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War of 1812. Specifically, the Battle of New Orleans.
Yes. Women could only be pirates if they dressed, fought, and swore like men. It is thought that many who managed that are unknown because they were disguised so well.
yes. Despite her French name she was born in England in 1636. Her pirate career began when she led a mutiny against a cruel captain and cut off his head. Once when she and her crew were starving they killed two slaves, and her husband too, so they could eat them. She was very active off the coast of West Africa.
no. Pirates of an island in the Bahamas had their flags made by a sail-maker's widow who took payment in brandy. Blackbeard a.k.a Edward Teach (or Thatcher) had his own personal flag.
no. One flag that was all red meant death to all that saw it and that the pirates would show no mercy in the battle.
16 lbs. Kidd was hanged twice in 1701 because the first rope snapped. They covered his body in tar to make it last so it could serve as a warning to all seamen.
HMS Ranger . Piracy stayed for 5,000 years but was finally ended in the 19th century. By 1850 only a few small bands of pirates were left.
bowsprit . When the navies made the ocean safe people began to forget about pirates' "murderous ways". Writers turned pirates from thieves to heroes, but some tell true pirate stories.
The Swallow. Bartholomew Roberts sailed into battle against this ship and got shot in the neck. He was either very brave, or very stupid, or both.
Edward Thatch/Teach. Edward Thatch (aka Teach) was nicknamed for his phenomenal beard. He became a pirate after capturing a French warship in 1717.
| When you think of Pirates you think of the Caribbean, white sand beaches, tall ships, brave captains and tricorn hats. This idea comes from the "golden age of piracy". When was this?
| Buccaneer Pirates
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1660-1730. The "golden age of piracy" was between 1660 and 1730. At this time piracy was common in the Caribbean seas because of the growing trade there.
| A certain activity that pirates enjoyed was not allowed aboard most ships. Whenever the ship made port they would get involved in it. What was this activity? | Buccaneer Pirates
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gambling. Gambling was strictly forbidden aboard most pirate vessels and whenever they made port the crew loved to spend their profits on gambling. They also liked drinking and card games, of course. If they were caught gambling on board then they would be severely punished.
| What year is the first recorded time that the "Jolly Rodger" (skull and crossbones) flag was flown on a pirate vessel? | Buccaneer Pirates
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1700. The Jolly Rodger is recorded to have first been flown in the year 1700. It was not actually usually the black background with white skull, typical flag we think of today. It was usually a red flag and sometimes had a skull emblem on it. The Jolly Rodger is believed to have come from the medieval Knights Templar. They flew a red flag with crossbones on it and when they took up the life of piracy they used the same flag.
| Chinese pirates tended to favour a certain type of ship. What was it? | Buccaneer Pirates
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junk. The junk was a small vessel favoured mainly by Asian pirates. This ship could carry up to 15 cannons.
The other names are all other types of ship used and favoured by pirates and sailors during the golden age of piracy.
| Pirates had to make port sometimes and they had havens where it was safe for a pirate to go without being arrested. What was the biggest pirate haven during the golden age of piracy until an earthquake destroyed it? (Hint: it was in Jamaica) | Buccaneer Pirates
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Port Royal. Port Royal was described as "the wickedest city on earth". It was destroyed in 1692 when an earthquake hit, but was swiftly rebuilt. This time it had a stronger governor and a naval influence, this ensured that the pirates would not return. Instead they moved to places like Nassau, Tortuga and Charlestown.
| A common alchoholic drink drunk by the pirates was a rum, water,lemon juice and sugar mixture. What was the name given to this drink? | Buccaneer Pirates
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grog. Grog is the name given to the alcoholic drink of pirates. It is derived from a nickname for an admiral who liked to drink.
Caulker is a stiff glass taken when a drinking bout ends.
Oggins is another name for the sea.
Belayis a word meaning "stop that" or "shut up".
| There were many positions aboard a ship. One of them was assigned to small boys who had to clean and load the guns during battle. They were known by what name? | Buccaneer Pirates
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powder-monkeys. The powder monkeys were eventually promoted to gunner's mate or gunner. That is if they survived! Another job was given to young boys aboard a ship. If they did not become powder monkeys they would become cabin boys. They would do basically any little jobs needing doing aboard the ship.
| Which buccaneer lead the expedition across the Pacific coasts, recorded by Basil Ringrose? | History of Pirates
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Bartholomew Sharp. Ringrose wrote an elaborate, revealing account of the adventure of the buccaneers across the Isthmus of Panama. This journal later became a part of Alexander Esquemelin's - Buccaneers of America.
| The Wokou pirates of East Asia first appeared in the 13th century, with a pirate raid in Korea. To which East Asian country did they originally belong? | History of Pirates
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Japan. Wokou means "Japanese Bandits". They raided the coasts of China and Korea. Their nationalities included Chinese, Korean and Portuguese. Many of their leaders - Pirate Kings were Chinese.
| Which Portuguese vessel did the pirates John Taylor and Olivier La Bouche capture at Reunion Island, robbing the ex-Viceroy of Goa of diamonds and rare oriental treasures worth more than £800,000? | History of Pirates
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Nostra Senhora do Cabo. Nostra Senhora do Cabo means "The Virgin of the Cape".
Thomas Tew and Henry Every. The biggest loot of Henry Every's career was the Gang-i-Sawai. It was a part of the Moghul of India's convoy of ships. Gang-i-Sawai and Fateh Muhammed were the two ships that could be captured.
| The most famous and extensive pirates in medieval Europe were the Vikings, warriors and looters from Scandinavia. Which period in history is often referred to as the "Viking Age"?
| History of Pirates
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8 -11 Century. Vikings were warriors on ships, pirates and traders who originated in Scandinavia. They raided the British, Irish and European coasts from late 8th to 11th century. This period is called the Viking Age.
| Which Welshman became notorious as a pirate leader after conquering and looting the Spanish Panamanian strongholds of Portobello and Santiago Castle? | The True Pirates of The Caribbean
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Henry Morgan. Henry Morgan conducted several raids on Spanish fortresses and garnered a large and loyal crew. He succeeded by raiding the fortress from land at night instead of by sea. He amassed a large fortune and lived out his days as a plantation owner. He died of natural causes in 1688. Don Juan de Guzman was president of Panama at the time. Thomas Modyford was an early governor of Port Royal. Blackbeard was another notable pirate.
Edward Teach. Edward Teach was an English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century, a period referred to as "The Golden Age of Piracy." Blackbeard often fought wearing a large feathered tricorn hat and sporting multiple swords, knives, and pistols. He had hemp and lighted matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle. Accounts of people who saw him fighting reported that he looked like the devil. Howard Pyle was a pirate illustrator. Robert Newton authored "Blackbeard the Pirate" and Edward Walsh was a trader on St. Mary's Island.
Calico Jack. John Rackham (December 21, 1682-November 17, 1720) was a pirate captain during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the colorful calico clothes he wore. John Rackham and his crew were executed in Jamaica. Bluebeard was another pirate. Long John Silver and Peg Leg Pete are literary pirates.
Anne Bonney. Born in County Cork, Ireland, Bonney disguised herself as a man in order to join Rackham's crew aboard the "Revenge." The couple stole the sloop at anchor in the harbor and set off to sea, put together a crew and took several prizes. Anne took part in combat alongside the male pirates and accounts describe her as competent, effective in combat and someone who gained the respect of her fellow pirates. According to legend, she once stabbed a fellow pirate through the heart when he discovered her gender. Grace O'Malley, Jane Hamilton and Joan Barnet are fictitious.
She died in prison.. Mary Read was part of Rackham's crew who were sentenced to hang for acts of piracy, but she claimed to be pregnant and received a stay of execution. It is unknown whether she was really pregnant or if she invented the story to delay her execution. Read eventually died in early 1721 while in prison, either by fever or perhaps during childbirth.
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