Pirate Theme Party

Piracy is often associated with characters like Black Beard, Captain Hook and Captain Kidd, but the practice of piracy has actually existed for many centuries. Ever since the creation of ocean vessels, pirates have gone on treasure hunts, so why are the pirates of the 18th century so famous? Are their incredible stories really true? Are the famous pirates real or fictional? Were there any pirates who were women? Have there been any pirates in the modern age? At Pirate Theme Party, we have decided to go on a little treasure hunt of our own. We researched this subject and came up with some surprising answers. Go ahead and test your knowledge with our Fact or Fiction section. See how you measure up to other treasure hunters. Good luck and “Talley Ho!”

FACT OR FICTION?

Pirates did all their treasure hunts on deserted islands

Pirates rarely did their treasure hunting on land and treasure hunts were not typical of the ones depicted in film and literature. Treasure hunts actually involved the raiding and looting of cargo ships. There have been many stories of buried treasure, but that was actually a rare occurrence. The only reason pirates buried their treasure was to hide it from other pirates. Piracy occurred almost exclusively on the ocean. Like wolves waiting for prey, pirates would often wait for their victims to come to them. They would wait just outside of busy ports where commercial ships were certain dock. Many times, commercial ships would quickly surrender rather than face the guns of the pirate ships. The crewmembers of the vessel were often abandoned and left to their own devices.

Pirates were only interested in looting gold
The treasure in virtually all pirate films and stories is gold or precious stones, but in reality, pirates were willing to steal just about anything. Most of the cargo ships that were raided carried commercial material like spices, sugar, coal, cloth and even alcohol. During the golden age of piracy, most pirates were located in the Caribbean and southern United States. They wee there because of the lucrative sugar and rum trades. Very rarely were pirates ever lucky enough to find gold. Those treasure hunts involved sellable goods rather than gold. In fact, the most valuable prize of all was the ship itself. Pirates would steal them and sail around with entire fleets of vessels.

Piracy ended after the 18th century and no longer exists
Piracy did not end with Black Beard or those other notorious characters; rather it really does exist to this day. Piracy is an attractive solution for those who look to make easy money. It is estimated that worldwide losses to pirates exceed 13 billion (U.S.) dollars per year. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard regularly patrol areas prone to piracy like the Horn of Africa, the Straits of Malacca and the Caribbean Sea. As long as commercial vessels remain vulnerable to attack, there will always be pirates willing to steal their wares.

Captain Kidd, Black Beard & Captain Hook were all fictional characters
There are many myths and legends that surround famous pirates, but some of these characters were quite real. While Captain Hook was a fictional character, both Black Beard and Captain Kidd were real! Because their exploits were so outrageous, they remain popular figures in American culture today. They are so famous that even fictional characters are often depicted to look like them. This is most common in the case of Black Beard (also known as Edward Teach). Consider the character of Captain Hook, who is almost always depicted as having a black beard. Films such as “Hook” and “Peter Pan” both demonstrate this. Bluto, from the famous cartoon “Popeye” also dons a black beard. Most recently, the character of Jack Sparrow, in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” is almost a mirror image of Black Beard. These characters remain popular because they came from the golden age of piracy; an era that is often romanticized. The period was a time when the open ocean was as lawless as the Wild West and all ships were fair game.

Many of Black Beards exploits were located near the United States
Black Beard did operate in the United States, but this was almost sixty years before the American Revolution, so the country was particularly vulnerable to piracy. Originally, Black Beard operated closer to the Caribbean islands where he was deeply feared. It has been said that Black Beard wove hemp and matches into his large beard during battle. This was done so he could quickly light his cannons. His ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, carried forty cannons and outclassed anything on the ocean. When the British Navy cracked down on pirates and treasure hunters in the Caribbean, Black Beard sailed north to America. It was outside of the Carolinas where Black Beard finally met his match in Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Maynard engaged Black Beard in a battle where Black Beard eventually lost his life. America was vulnerable to pirates for a long period after, and it was not until the famous U.S. Marine invasion of Tripoli that the U.S. Navy was able to effectively stave of most pirates.

All known pirates were men
While Captain Kidd, Black Beard and Captain Hook are the best remembered pirates, there were also female pirates that deserve some recognition. One such pirate was Anne Bonny. Like the other famous characters, she lived during the golden age of piracy. Originally, she was from Ireland but soon got the urge to treasure hunt and headed for the Bahamas. Female pirates during that time were unheard of, but Anne Bonny was determined to become one. She disguised herself as a man in order to join her first band of pirates. Later, she stole a sloop and organized a crew to do her own pirating. Bonny was determined to make piracy an equal opportunity employer!

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