This day in history, November 22, 1718, the notorious pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard for his large beard that he would light with fuses, was finally defeated on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Lieutenant Robert Maynard was able to trick Blackbeard by hiding his men below deck, giving Blackbeard the confidence to board his ship, where he was quickly ambushed by the numerous men. Legend has it that the soldiers decapitated Blackbeard and tied his head to the front of their ship, and some of them supposedly saw his headless body swim a few laps around his ship before disappearing. Blackbeard, according to historians, has been greatly fabricated, and overall he was not a terribly violent or successful pirate. But why let historians ruin our imagination? Let us continue to spread the story of Blackbeard with his beard tied in pigtails and a body that swam around the ocean like a headless chicken.
