September 19 marks International Talk Like a Pirate Day, an annual event that sees children and adults the world over play pretend, usually by donning a long coat and leather boots – perhaps a cutlass – and a wig of long, unruly hair spilling out from under a tricorne hat. And saying “arr” a lot, of course.
As a pirate historian, I’m sorry to report this vision is disappointingly limited. While popular culture has settled on a narrow stereotype, the oceans were once crowded with all manner of pirates – from Caribbean raiders, to Chinese fleet commanders and Southeast-Asian Muslim seafarers.
