"Blimey! ain't a honest clay good enough for yer now? I knows wots the matter wiv you, Billy Jones! You've got a weather-heye on the Quarter Deck you 'ave. You fink you're agoin' to be a blighted perishin' orficer you do! Yus, you flat-footed matlot--not even a blasted tiffy you ain't, and you buys a blighted baccy-pouch and yaller baccy and fag-pipers, like a Snottie, an' reckons you's on the 'igh road to be a bloomin' Winnie Lloyd Gorgeous Orficer. 'And 'em 'ere--fore I'm sick. Lootenant,--Gunnery Jack,--Number One,--Commerdore!"

Percival Christopher Wren, 1914
Snake and Sword from Project Gutenberg.

His name was Edward Teach, but everyone knew him as Blackbeard. His name struck fear in the hearts of sailors and the sight of his ship weakened even the bravest captain. Blackbeard was one of the most notorious pirates to ever sail the Atlantic. He knew North Carolina well, calling Ocracoke Island his home. This was the early years of the 1700's. America's east coast was dotted with small villages and seaports, and almost all travel and trade was done by ship. Piracy was rampant and passengers and sailors alike lived in constant fear of being attacked, robbed, kidnapped or killed by pirates.

The one and only, official, accept-no-substitutes Talk Like A Pirate Day Web site. Arrr!

With her novels for young readers, Nell Wise Wechter, author of Taffy of Torpedo Junction, intended to both entertain and enlighten her young audience. In Teach's Light, Wechter added the science fiction device of time travel to produce a spirited retelling of the story of Blackbeard (c.1688-1718), who has been described as tall and strong, with a booming voice and a bushy black beard. The story traces the life from his boyhood days as a street urchin in Bristol and as a stowaway on a transatlantic ship, through his apprenticeship with the famous pirate Benjamin Hornigold, to the end of his reign of terror, when he was beheaded by a British naval officer in his last battle off the coast of Ocracoke, North Carolina.

In our contemporary society characterized by a surfeit of violence, why read about pirates and commerce destroyers? What is heroic about bloodthirsty criminals and naval officers who destroyed the livelihood of fisherfolk and sea captains? Simply put, these tales are thrilling adventure stories about that most ancient of plots--the hunter and his prey. Since our primordial days, human beings have found compelling of larger-than-life heroes whose stories give us role models for coping with the vicissitudes of life.

The purpose of this page is to use the medium of the World Wide Web to continue the tradition of the folk process, that is the telling of stories, and singing of songs, passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth. In this electronic era, such a process is in danger of being overwhelmed by the commercial mass media. This page and others on the 'net are working to preserve the folk songs that have our global heritage for centuries. Listen to some seafaring songs here while you enjoy International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Launched December 16th, 1943 at Gulf Shipbuilding Co., Chickasaw, Ala, she was Commissioned the USS Pirate (AM-275). She served in World War II, and was then decommissioned on November 6th, 1946. However, with the start of the war, she would again be recommissioned on August 14th, 1950 to serve in minesweeping duties off of the Korean coast. On October 12th, 1950, she and the USS Pledge hit mines and sunk while minesweeping 3 miles off the enemy-held island of Sin-Do.

Started by Nicholas Pioch, the Webmuseum was created because he felt more art materials was needed on the Internet. The contributor run web art gallery has been around for almost 10 years, and is home to some of the webs most creative art. In time for International Talk Like a Pirate Day, here is the Paris catacombs pirate gallery for your viewing pleasure.