Piracy wasn't just for men. Anne Bonny and Mary Read along with a host of other female pirates were just as tough as — if not tougher than — their male counterparts.

Julius Caesar was captured and ransomed around 75 B.C. by Mediterranean pirates, whom he later hunted down and crucified.

Pirate crews operated in a democratic fashion, with codes of conduct and each member receiving equal share of plunder.

Most pirates died penniless, their high seas adventures lasting only a few years.

Pirates continue to roam the oceans of the world in search of riches they can steal, or humans or cargo they can ransom.

Piracy began around 3000 B.C. in ancient Egypt and throughout the Mediterranean Sea.

Viking pirates often struck intended victims with such speed that by the time defending forces could be assembled, the Vikings were long gone.

Modern treasure hunters are still discovering the wreckage of Spanish treasure fleets with cargoes of gold, silver, and jewels.

Pirates often flew highly stylized and individualistic “Jolly Roger” flags of their own design.

The “buccaneers” made their living smoking and selling beef jerky long before they began plundering ships and sacking cities.