Blackbeard
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Blackbeard (~1680-1718) was the sobriquet of a notorious English pirate operating around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies in the early 1700's. His actual name was Edward Teach (or possibly Edward Thatch). He was likely born in Bristol, England, and sailed on privateer ships before joining pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold sometime around 1716 to command a sloop. Teach later captured a French merchant vessel, renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge, and equipped her with 40 guns. The Blackbeard nickname derived from Teach's thick black beard and fearsome appearance. He formed an alliance of pirates and blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina. A shrewd and calculating leader, Teach commanded his vessels with the permission of their crews and there is no known account of his ever having harmed or murdered those he held captive. He was immortalised after his death and became the inspiration for a number of pirate-themed romanticised works of fiction across a range of genres.
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