The Golden Age of Piracy (1700-1725)

For piracy to thrive, conditions need to be just right. In the British Caribbean from 1700 to 1725 or so, conditions were perfect and as a result, pirates ruled the region.

For about a year in 1717-1718, the most fearsome pirate ship in the world was Blackbeard's monstrous Queen Anne's Revenge. With this massive pirate man of war, Blackbeard essentially controlled the Caribbean and the southeastern coast of the present-day USA.

Pirates have been a part of popular culture ever since they sailed the seven seas! Today, some fictional pirates such as Jack Sparrow or Long John Silver are more famous than any genuine pirates of history! Here are some famous fictional pirates, with their historical accuracy thrown in.

When you learn about something mostly from the movies, you're bound to have your facts a little mixed up. Pirates are a great example: how much do you you really know about these sea-dogs?

Back in the days of Blackbeard and William Kidd, pirates had a variety of weapons that they used to carry out their high-seas thievery, including cannons, pistols, sabers, grenadoes and more!

The so-called "Golden Age of Piracy" lasted roughly from 1695 to 1725. During this time, thousands of desperate men joined pirate crews looking for an easy way to make a living far from the harsh discipline of merchant and navy ships. Some of these pirates were good at what they did and became quite successful! Here are the top five.

In the movies, pirates always seem to have huge chests of gold and jewels. Was this really the case? Learn more about what sort of treasure a pirate could really hope to find.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read became famous in a most unlikely way: they joined a pirate crew! They have since become legendary, the ferocious female pirates who fought under the flag of Captain John "Calico Jack" Rackham. What are some facts about these swashbuckling ladies?