Forget the eye patches, treasure maps, parrots, and “Arrr!”—real pirates were nothing like the movies. Piracy was brutal, chaotic, and sometimes surprisingly organized. Pirates stole ships, kidnapped people, fought naval forces, made fortunes, and created their own strange rules aboard their vessels. Some were terrifying criminals. Others were former sailors who turned to piracy when war ended and their livelihoods disappeared. So what was life actually like on a pirate ship? Did pirates really make people walk the plank? Where did the famous pirate flag come from? And what happened when pirates were finally captured? This episode of Rewinding History throws away the Hollywood version and looks at what being a real pirate was actually like. The real story is stranger—and far more brutal—than the legend.

The Truth About Real Pirates

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