February 8, 2019

What are famous pirate flags?

Blackbeard: The notorious Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, let his reputation speak for itself when he ran up his Jolly Roger: “Resist and you will bleed.” Bartholomew […]
February 8, 2019

Why did pirates fly the skull & crossbones?

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies portray buccaneer crews as likable bands of high-seas misfits, but real-life “freebooters” were ruthless thieves who relied on their cutthroat […]
February 6, 2019

What about cash?

Paper currency – also known as notes or bills – didn’t appear until the ninth century in China, but it eventually became so common that it […]
February 6, 2019

When did people start using coins?

The first chunks of change you’d recognize as coins – round lumps of precious metals impressed with mages of gods and rulers – appeared around 700 […]