Pirates have been around since man began to sail on the seas. Pirates began as Vikings in the 9^th century. The Vikings terrorized all of Western Europe and beyond.

In the 16^th century, pirates were hired by crooked businessmen and other countries to fight battles for them, disrupt trading agreements and conduct unexpected raids. A famous pirate named Welshman Henry Morgan who was hired by the British Government to attack the Spanish. Morgan and his crew ravaged throughout Venezuela, Cuba and Panama. Morgan was knighted and appointed lieutenant governor.

In the 17^th and 18^th century, a number of legendary pirates began to emerge. Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard had 14 wives and many children.

Other famous pirates were Bartholomew “Black Bart” Roberts, who was famous for capturing hundreds of ships in his lifetime. There was also captain “Calico” Jack Rackham, who is remembered for having a crew that included female pirates, there names were Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Bonny and Mary use to dress like men and fought just as well as the men on board.

Pirate ships always had either red or black flags, known as Jolly Rogers, which usually had skull and crossbones. Rumor has it that pirates use to bury their treasure, but most likely, they spent it instead.

Port Royal, Jamaica became the homeland for pirates. Port Royal was known as “the wickedest place on earth.”

There is very little evidence that pirates use to make their victims “walk the plank.” The popularity of this probably came from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.

The age of pirates began to come to an end by the 1720’s when the pirates were outmatched by European military forces. The plague and other diseases also began to take people on board of the ships too.