Portal:Piracy/Did you know/1


 * ...that in 2011, pirates were reported as raiding along the Danube River in the center of Europe?
 * ...that there is only one account of walking the plank?
 * ...that English pirate Henry Every, who was sometimes known as Long Ben, was one of the few major pirate captains to retire with his loot without being arrested or killed in battle?
 * ...that red Jolly Roger flags were the most feared of all; all prayed they never encountered the "Bloody Red," which boldly declared that no mercy would be shown and all victims would be killed?
 * ...that in the Golden Age of Piracy, the word "pirate" was often spelled "pyrate" or "pyrat"?
 * ...that, while it is unknown if pirates actually kept parrots as pets, it is thought that at least some captains kept cats aboard to keep populations of rats and other vermin down?
 * ...that, unlike traditional Western societies of the time, many pirate clans operated as limited democracies, demanding the right to elect and replace their leaders?