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The Real Pirates of the Caribbean

Khalid Elhassan January 7, 2020 32 min

15. Fame and Success Did Not Always Go Hand in Hand in the Golden Age of Piracy

Calico Jack, real name John Rackham (1682 – 1720), is one of the best-known pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy, but not because he was particularly successful or much good at being a pirate. Compared to other famous pirates, Calico Jack’s career was middling, and his accomplishments mediocre.

He nonetheless became famous because of his associations with other, more successful pirates. Also, because of his venality and backstabbing, that stood out even in a profession built on venality and backstabbing. His first mate also designed the Jolly Roger flag, so there was that. Most important of all, Calico Jack became famous because his crew included two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.