What were old fashioned pirates really like?

There is a lot of history behind the Jolly Roger flag (black with skull and crossbones), and multiple pirates are recorded as having flown it. But, flags signifying pirates were usually just meant to signify death, and sometimes they were red, sometimes they had full skeletons or hourglasses (your time is up sort of thing) as well. read more

Most of what you see in films is invented. The classic skull-and-crossbones is not known to have been flown by any real pirate, though some real flags were similar. No real pirate is known to have buried treasure. Pirate ships had a kind of primitive democracy, with leadership split and leaders accountable to the crew. read more

Combat was a surprisingly small worry. Catching the target was the main problem; once overtaken, almost all merchant crews surrendered without a fight. But when a fight did break out, like Captain England against the Cassandra, the battle could be extremely costly. And when the pirates stumbled on a Navy ship or privateer, it usually meant a bloody end to their careers, as with Bonnet, Blackbeard, and Roberts. Execution was a major worry also. read more

old timey pirates do still exist but mainly just as part as reenactment groups and things of that nature. you could look into that if you wanted to get paid for it rather than arrested for looking like some mad bloke with a peg leg and a parrot. read more