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Female Pirates

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Did you know that one of the most notorious female pirates in the world was Ching Shih? She was a Chinese business woman in the late 18th to mid 19th century. She had many other occupations including: a salt trader, gambling house and brothel owner, and even a prostitute. However, she was well known for being a female pirate. She was a fierce pirate and her legacy made people wonder what it would be like to meet her in person.  During the Golden Age of Piracy, there were quite a few infamous female pirates that sailed the sees. Nevertheless, their appearances  were not what you would expect. In a mainly male pirate world where masculinity was the majority, a female pirate was expected to not survive. Even if a female pirate was spotted, she would most likely be targeted because it was popular believe that a woman would not endure in that type of lifestyle. So, most of them would disguise themselves as a man to avoid that type of conflict.  To meet one of them knowing who they wer
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Captain Morgan: Fact v. Fiction

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Did you know that Captain Henry Morgan was Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica? This was one of his many titles in his life. People see him as one of the legendary pirates. However, not every story about Captain Morgan is true. For example, in the book, "Buccaneers and Pirates," there are some misconceptions about his childhood and how he grew up. In the story, Frank Stockton explains that "in the late 17th century there was a little baby boy born with a father as a farmer and a mother that churned, and tended the cows and chickens" (Stockton 132). Although, it was never proven what his parents did when he was a child. These statements in the book are used to flare up Captain Morgan's history.  Nevertheless, most stories about him are factual. Undoubtedly he was one of the most successful pirates of all time. For instance, Captain Morgan's capture of Panama was one of his most notable accomplishments. In August 1670, he sailed 36 ships and nearly 2,000 buccan
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Pieces of Eight

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Did you know that the Spanish dollar was used by many countries as the first international currency because of its uniformity? Even the United States used it as its first form of currency until the Coinage Act of 1957. In the book, "Under the Black Flag," were from the New World around the late 1500s. This was happening around the time called the great pirate era when pirates were hauling off large amounts of treasure. David Cordingly explains that "the Spanish dollar was called the "Pieces of Eight" and were produced from Spain. They usually had the Spanish coat of arms on one side and a design representing the pillars of Hercules on the other. The twin pillars symbolized the limits of the ancient world at the Strait of Gibraltar, and the early designs they were depicted rising out of the sea"(Cordingly 36). The Pieces of Eight, also known as pesos, were the most famous treasures from the New World. They were some of the many pillages of pirates from
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Pirates: Heroes or Villians?

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Did you know that not all pirates were male? Some pirate ships had crew that were male and female. However, some of them used to dress as men to avoid conflict. When people saw the kind of crew some pirate ships had, they idolized the gutsy way they lived and how they chose their crew. Some pirates are seen as heroes because of the book, "Treasure Island," written by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the book, pirates were seen as romantic, unrestricted people on the other side of the law. Pirates are seen as Robin Hood type of characters. This means that they are seen as stealing from the rich and give to the needy. They were viewed as not always thinking of themselves or their crew. Some pirates were seen as free spirited, adventurous, and courageous people that lived such a unrestrained lifestyle that most people desired (Famous Pirates in History: Stories from the Golden Age of Piracy). Some pirates are seen as only fighting evil people but, sparing their lives, stealing
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Pirate Myth Busters

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Did you know that not only did he exist, but Captain Blackbeard was the most feared pirate of all other pirates? It is hard to believe that such a well known and illustrated pirate with a fiction sounding name like Blackbeard actually exists. However, he did exist and he had the most infamous history. It is not well known that many more of the pirate myths of the pirate era are actually true. With pirates being such a misunderstood group of people, it is hard to blame people who do think that most of what was said are myths. Another myth about pirates that is actually true is that they did sail with a "Jolly Roger" flagging in the wind above their ships. The flag did have a skull and cross bones to scare their enemies and prey. That symbol means "death to my enemies." However, not all pirate ships had that exact symbol. Some ships had a unique design to signify their own independent crew. Pirates were keen attackers. They would fly a friendly flag when approac
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Pirate Myths

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Myths about pirates begun with the novel "Treasure Island." It was published on January 28, 1882 by the Cassell and authored by Robert Louis Stevenson. It brought adoration for the genre of pirate novels. It gained so much notoriety that the genre of pirates were made into movies, comic books, and Halloween costumes. The book idolized pirates in a way.  Before the novel, the truth about pirates was sort of obscured. Pirate fiction really blew up with the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" with the actor Johnny Depp. The film depicted pirates as romantic, nimble, living a blissful life on the seas, and overall good people for the most of them. One major myth about pirates is that they only fought when the needed such as protecting their gold from other thieving pirates and only fighting as hard as they need to. Any pirate would favor stealing loot without a fight, but when they decided to fight, they fought barbarously. And if any crewmates were chicken, including t
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About Me

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I love animals. My passion are sports, video games, and television. The sports I like are basketball, baseball, football, and kickball. My favorite video game system is the play station. My favorite type of video games are adventure games. My favorite television shows are comedies and action movies and show.
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