Blackbeard

Blackbeard the Pirate was born as Edward Teach in 1680. He was an English pirate that terrorized the seas from 1716 to about 1718. Not much is known about his early years, but he was a privateer before he became a pirate. As a pirate, on his ship Queen Anne’s Revenge, he would mainly target merchant ships and take all their belongings. Although he is often mentioned as a cruel man, it never seemed that he had anyone killed from the merchant ships.

He often resided in the Carolinas and the Bahamas (in fact Beaufort NC real estate offices use his image frequently). He is most famous for his blockade of Charleston, SC in 1718. He plundered merchant ships and held some passengers hostage. They were later released in exchange for medicines.

Later in 1718 Lieutenant Robert Maynard was ordered to hunt down Blackbeard. Blackbeard was finally cornered and was involved in a sword and gunfight with Maynard. Blackbeard wounded Maynard, but was shot by Maynard and later wounded in the face and neck by one of Maynard’s men. He died from blood loss while trying to load his pistol. Maynard cut off Blackbeard’s head and hung it from the bow of the ship. Blackbeard was reported has having been shot more than five times and stabbed more than twenty times before he died. His head was taken to Bath, NC where it was put on a pike, supposedly to scare off any of Blackbeard’s pirate friends!

Blackbeard’s ship was alleged to be found near Beaufort, NC and is a tourist attraction now. Blackbeard never was a rich man. After his death, his belongs were soled for 2,500 pounds which is approximately $5,000 today.