The word “pirate” comes from the Latin word “pirata,” which means mariner or sea-robber, and the Greek word “peirates,” which means “one who attacks ships.” ¹⁾

One of the most famous pirates in history was Oliver Levasseur, a Frenchman by origin. He lived at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries - until his unfortunate capture on an island with the very telling name of Bourbon. For his successful career as a pirate, he was sentenced to death by hanging. This did not stop the pirate from once again laughing in the face of justice. Moments before his execution, he threw into the crowd a necklace with an inscription that, when deciphered, would lead to a treasure. “Find my treasure you who can read this,” were Levasseur's last words. There was and still is no shortage of people willing to decipher the code. Although the necklace has not lived to see our times, the code itself has survived. And Levasseur's treasure, probably one of many pirate heirlooms, is still waiting to be found. ²⁾

The pirate who served as the greatest motivation for generations of other pirates after him was Henry Every, an English pirate who not only managed to capture the greatest pirate booty of all time but still managed to remain free until his death. ³⁾

Life on a pirate ship was not easy. A crowded, smelly cubicle awaited the pirates, where they slept briefly in wet, salt-covered clothes. Their hands were covered with open wounds from the constant climbing and pulling off the rough ropes, and the salt was eating into them. Their stomachs were bloated from carrying heavy loads. On top of that, everyone suffered from rheumatism from the constant damp. In the north everyone was freezing, in the tropics the scorching sun made the skin come off in patches, ulcers appeared and scabs broke out. ⁴⁾

We often see pirate ships portrayed as large and intimidating. In reality, most pirate ships were small, built for speed and agility, with enough room for weapons and their crew. They were created to pursue larger, slower-moving merchant ships. ⁵⁾