10 Random and Obscure Facts: Pirate Edition

1) Although Hollywood pirates, such as Jack Sparrow’s friends, like to grumble “arrr” or “arrrrgh" frequently, real pirates were not known to do so. Hollywood actor Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver in the 1950s had a regional accent from the Cotswolds district of southwest England where they like to roll the "r" a bit. However, your average real pirate did not exaggeratedly roll their “r” like the fictional ones do.

2) Pirates may have thrown men overboard, but no one was ever known to have “walked the plank”. Again, this one is a Hollywood myth.

3) Pirates were known for chasing after busty wenches in Caribbean ports. At least that tale is true! The belief that pirates often dressed in loose clothing, guzzled rum and then smashed the empty bottles is also fairly accurate. However, there were a few “gentlemen” pirates who were above such rude behavior, or at least they were a little more discreet in their rum drinking and wench chasing.

4) Lady Ching Shih, once a prostitute, became one of the most powerful pirates to have ever sailed the ocean blue. She commanded one of the most formidable pirate fleets in all of China during the early 1800s, with hundreds of ships under her command.

5) Pirates pierced their ears, not to look suave, but because it was believed that piercing the ears with such precious metals as silver and gold, improved one's eyesight. Even relatively respectable sea faring men indulged in the practice.

6) “Davy Jones' Locker” is real nautical term that dates back to the 1700s. Davy Jones was sailor slang for the Devil. To send someone to Davy Jones meant killing the individual. Being “sent to Davy Jones Locker” implied that you were not going to heaven.

7) As early as 1611 there are written accounts describing a person who brings bad luck to a ship as a “Jonah”. If a man was marked as a Jonah, he was doomed to be thrown overboard. If the trouble persisted, the pirates suspected they’d thrown the wrong man overboard and would sometimes toss the original accuser overboard to appease the ghost of the innocent man!

8) Every pirate ship had it’s own Code of Conduct specified by the pirate captain. While stealing was the pirate’s job, stealing amongst shipmates was severely punished. Some boats had a “zero tolerance” policy for internal theft that left you dead or marooned if caught.

9) No one has actually ever found a real pirate’s buried treasure map. Never too far from death, most pirates tried to enjoy their money quickly. At any rate, there aren’t any maps around today, unless some are still cleverly hidden.

10) Throughout history some women have always preferred knives to knitting needles. Anne Bonny went from a privileged daughter of a rich plantation owner to a ruthless pirate. Not wanting to live the “subservient” life expected by women during her day, Anne won over the respect of her pirate crewmembers with her murderous and capable ways. She eventually became best friends with another fierce female pirate, Mary Read.

Read more about the unusually exciting life of Anne Bonny here: http://www.piratesinfo.com/biography/biography.php?article_id=26