Few people would immediately recognize the name Edward Teach, but it's likely that everyone would recognize his alter ego — Blackbeard. Though his career as a pirate was short, his exploits and legendary rule-by-fear tactics left an indelible mark on maritime history. For a single man to strike such fear in people speaks highly of his remarkable piratical abilities. The light that shines twice as bright, burns half as long, and Blackbeard's light would blaze across oceans and nations, whose residents would embellish his legend for centuries to come.