BLACKBEARD

I always forget that pirates were actually around a few hundred years ago (like cowboys of the water!) but that there wasn't any magic involved like in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies. Which, by the way, I think the first one is a fantastic adventure movie and the second and third both kind of suck. Don't even care about the new one, though I'm sure I'll see it.

But anyway, back to what I was writing a few seconds ago. The Queen Anne's Revenge wrecked on the shores of North Carolina a long time ago and archaeologists have been excavating it since about 1997. A few weeks ago, they revealed what might have been Blackbeard's sword. And yes, for all the tales you hear, Blackbeard actually was a real pirate. And for being a feared pirate for only two years, he built himself up quite a reputation.

But the thing about this sword is that it might (and probably) didn't belong to Blackbeard at all. When Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground in 1718, it was abandoned partly above water for nearly a year before it fell apart and disintegrated. Scavengers came and went snatching up what they could and though not likely, it's possible that this sword was unreachable or hidden until it was uncovered not long ago.

On another note, how awesome would that have been to be walking along the beach and see a giant, abandoned ship just ripe for the picking? I probably would have been scared shitless to go searching through it because of the ghosts and all the unstable dynamite lying around, but still.

National Geographic has a little bit more on the discovery (and a few more pictures) at their website if you're interested.