Simply put, a pirate is anyone who robs and plunders in the sea. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was a fine line between pirates and seamen authorized by their government to attack ships. A privateer was a seaman with a license to attack enemy ships, and usually had to give a share of their profits to the government.

This difference meant little if you were on a ship coming under attack! During the Golden Age of Piracy, pirates and privateers plied the waters in the Caribbean and off the coast off the Americas, disrupting shipping lanes and sowing fear in the hearts of other seafarers.

These pirates and privateers became the stuff of legends, even in their own time. People eagerly devoured written accounts of famous pirates, and flocked to the trials and hangings that became commonplace.

These legends live on today, and many schoolchildren can recite the names of famous pirates such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. These and other pirates spawned a rich legacy of tales that have become part of our popular culture. But, unlike many other legends that become more outrageous over time, it is the lives of the original pirates that are even more interesting and awe-inspiring than any legend could make them.