Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since 2005. According to various sources, there were 151 attacks on ships in 2010 and 25 of those were considered successful, at least to the pirates. The numbers of attacks and "successes" have dwindled in the past two years. Somalia pirates, even at their peak, were no match for those who plundered oceans centuries ago.
The "Golden Age of Piracy" was roughly 1700 to 1725, a time when pirates were in all their plundering glory and thievery on the high seas was at its scariest. Famous, or infamous, pirates including Blackbeard, Black Bart and Henry "Long Ben" Avery ruled the seas with impunity and took whatever they wished. Each of these pirates had a distinctive flag, or "jack" which identified and struck fear in any who saw their sails.
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, perhaps the most notorious pirate during the Golden Age, sailed under a flag that left no doubt as to his sinister intentions. The black flag had a white, horned skeleton spearing a heart, all the while holding an hourglass, letting potential victims know their time was quickly ending. Blackbeard preferred the warm Caribbean waters to ply for victims and liked to frighten them by placing smoking fuses in his long black hair and beard. The smoke gave him a demonic appearance.
Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts only "worked" as a pirate for three years, but during that time he captured a remarkable 400 ships. Traveling from South America to the Caribbean, Black Bart's flag showed a pirate and skeleton holding an hourglass. Like Blackbeard's flag, the warning was clear - time was running out for victims.
Henry "Long Ben" Avery's numbers were not overwhelming. He only captured a dozen ships, but one was the Ganj-i-Sawai, the incredibly rich treasure ship of the Moghal of India. With this rich haul, Long Ben "retired" from piracy, and according to legend founded his own kingdom. His pirate flag showed a skeleton in profile over crossbones.
While pirates aren't what they used to be during the Golden Age, their flags, often called Jolly Rogers, are still wildly popular with law abiding boaters. Rather than striking fear, the sea-worthy flags - meant to withstand the damaging effects of sun, wind and salt water - are used today as a "fun" nautical flag.