Blackbeard's World Journey

Travel around the world to teach everyone about pirates.

Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach and he was born around 1680 in Bristol England.

For a few years in the early 1700s, the name Blackbeard brought fear to the hearts of men. And although he wasn’t the cruelest pirate on the seas, he certainly may have been the craziest. Standing over 6 feet tall and over laden with weapons of all sorts, Blackbeard cut a pretty imposing figure. But, a burly frame and a bandolier full of pistols weren’t the only things that gave him such a wicked reputation; large part of it came from the frightening theatrics that he played up during a battle. He was known to decorate his wild mane of hair and filthy braided beard with colorful ribbons and slow-burning hemp fuses. Then, just before battle, he’d light the fuses and attack with guns drawn and smoke billowing around his maniacal face. Not surprisingly, some of his victims would surrender at the mere sight of him.

Black Beard’s reign of terror lasted only 18 months, but during that time he was an extremely successful and lived a pirate’s life to the fullest. At the peak of his power he prowled the seas with 4 ships and well over 300 men. Tales of his life aboard on of Blackbeard’s ships reveal his unpredictable and impetuous nature. On one occasion, after drinking a potent mixture of rum and gunpowder, he decided to try and get a feel for what it would be like in Hell. Taking a few men into the hold, he closed the hatches and lit some pots of brimstone that soon filled the air with suffocating fumes. When his men could take it no longer they evacuated the hold, gasping for air. Soon after Blackbeard emerged and proudly snarled, “I’m a better man than all ye milksops put together”! He is even reported to have killed one of his own men just so the rest of his remaining crew wouldn’t forget who he was.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Blackbeard’s life is actually the story of his death. After being ambushed by two sloops captained by his man from the Royal Navy, Blackbeard appeared victorious when he all but destroyed one of the boats and crippled the other. But when he boarded the seemingly abandoned boat, he was surprised by Lieutenant Robert Maynard and his men who had been hiding in the hold. Blackbeard fought an epic battle that saw him take at least five bullets and twenty stab wounds before collapsing just as he was cocking his gun to fire another shot. Maynard then decapitated the lifeless Blackbeard and sailed back to port with his grisly head hung on the bowsprit of his boat. The date was 1718 and the location was Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina. At his death he had up to 14 wives and 40 children.

Please help Blackbeard on his journey around the world.