Public opinion reflects new stance
Bellamy's greatest prize was the capture of the slave ship the Whydah Gally. Laden with riches, the vessel was attacked as it sailed between Hispaniola and Cuba.
Using a captured ship, Low and his reprobate crew headed south to Grand Cayman where they honed a tactic of hoisting false colors and approaching an unsuspecting vessel.
After her capture Read, like Bonny, cheated the hangman because she was pregnant. However, she died of fever while in prison and is probably buried near St. Catherine Parish Church in Jamaica.
This is Levasseur's enticing cryptogram. Can you unravel its secrets? Apparently there's a vast fortune to unearth for anyone who can crack the complicated code. Good luck!
Kidd's enduring legend revolves around the belief that he buried substantial amounts of treasure throughout various parts of the world. The wreck of the Indian merchant vessel Quedagh Merchant, captured by Kidd but later sunk, was discovered in 2007 off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic.
Intercepted by the British warship HMS Swallow, Roberts was killed in the ensuing battle. Sutton was captured and hanged at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana (pictured), an infamous "slave castle."
Tew pioneered the so-called Pirate Round, a sailing route that led from the western Atlantic to India. The final resting place of many pirates is in the cemetery at Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar.
Low's fate is unknown. Some reports suggest he was last sighted near the Canary Islands. Another rumor points to New Guinea. The National Maritime Museum in London opines that he was never caught, ending his days in Brazil.
Renouncing piracy, Rogers eventually became the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas and played a pivotal role in the suppression of pirates in the Caribbean.
He was also known for his successful tactic of plundering smaller vessels close to shore. But while doing so off Jamaica he was captured and later executed in Port Royal.
He looted ships off Jamaica, Cuba, and Puerto Bello in Panama (pictured), before making an astonishing decision to turn pirate hunter and pursue his former cohorts on behalf of the Governor of the Bahamas.
In his lifetime Roberts captured over 400 vessels, making him the most successful pirate of the age.
Bellamy sailed the Whydah Gally north to Cape Cod and straight into a violent storm. The vessel sank along with Bellamy and most of his crew. In 1984 the shipwreck was discovered with its priceless cargo of ivory, indigo, British sterling, and gold intact.
Born John Roberts in Wales, his merciless marauding took him to waters off Brazil, the Caribbean, and as far north as Newfoundland.
The dashing French pirate is said to have composed a puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Deciphered, it's supposed to lead the reader to a hidden treasure trove. Levasseur took his secret to the grave.
Roche roamed the seas of northern Europe, seeking out merchant vessels to attack and plunder. Crews and captains were murdered without mercy.
Born in England, Read (right) became one of two celebrated women pirates during the 18th century, the other of course being Anne Bonny (left).
Hornigold was extremely adept at menacing merchant fleets off the coast of New Providence, not least because he was in command of a thirty-gun ship—which was arguably the most heavily armed in the region.
As second-in-command to the notorious Blackbeard, Hands was complicit in harassing shipping off Mexico and Honduras. He later enjoyed immortality as a character in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel 'Treasure Island.'
Pargo thought nothing of fighting other pirates and once endured a skirmish against Blackbeard. He also fought against Turkish pirates off the Canaries, where he was born and died. His tomb is in the Church of Santo Domingo, in Tenerife.
The success of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie series and Johnny Depp's turn as the eccentric swashbuckler "Captain" Jack Sparrow captured the public's imagination. But who were the real pirates of the Caribbean and others like them who plundered and looted their way across the high seas?
Browse the gallery for skulls, crossbones, and a chance to unearth your very own pot of treasure.
A British pirate active in the Caribbean, Spriggs and his crew would perform a mild form of torture on captives by forcing them to run through "the sweats," a ring of burning candles, while the pirates jabbed at them with sharp implements.
His life of crime was brief but effective. He too based himself out of New Providence, and collaborated with Blackbeard on several raids. Fate caught up with Bonnet at the Battle of Cape Fear River, when British forces captured the pirate and much of his crew. He was hanged in Charleston.
Low's sadistic nature plunged to new depths as he tortured and murdered at will. Working as far north as Nova Scotia, as far south as Suriname, and across the Atlantic to the Canaries and Cape Verde, no vessel was safe.
Merchant vessels provided rich pickings for the pirate. But his plundering days were numbered. He was captured during a sea battle off Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, and was met with a gruesome end.
Meet the real pirates of the Caribbean
Blackbeard and other notorious pirates from the past
LIFESTYLE Piracy
The success of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie series and Johnny Depp's turn as the eccentric swashbuckler "Captain" Jack Sparrow captured the public's imagination. But who were the real pirates of the Caribbean and others like them who plundered and looted their way across the high seas?
Browse the gallery for skulls, crossbones, and a chance to unearth your very own pot of treasure.