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Pirate Haven Destroyed! June 7, 1692 (11:43 am): Known as a pirate haven and as "one of the wickedest places on Earth," Port Royal was, at the time, the unofficial capital of Jamaica and one of the busiest and wealthiest ports in the Americas, as well as a common home port for many of the privateers and pirates operating on the Caribbean Sea. Two-thirds of the town, amounting to 33 acres, sank into the sea immediately after the main shock. According to Robert Renny in his An History of Jamaica (1807): "All the wharves sunk at once, and in the space of two minutes, nine-tenths of the city were covered with water, which was raised to such a height, that it entered the uppermost rooms of the few houses which were left standing. The tops of the highest houses were visible in the water and surrounded by the masts of vessels, which had been sunk along with them." Before the earthquake the town consisted of 6,500 inhabitants living in about 2,000 buildings, ma...
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Blackbeard Grounds His Flagship!  June 10, 1718: On or about this day, Blackbeard runs his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge aground at Old Topsail Inlet, now Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. He attempts to kedge the Queen Anne's Revenge off the bar using his sloop Adventure but runs her hard aground as well. His cohort, Stede Bonnet, leaves for Bath, NC to seek a pardon from Gov. Charles Eden and renames his sloop the Royal James . When Bonnet returns he finds Blackbeard gone, the Queen Anne's Revenge stripped and former Adventure captain David Herriott marooned on Bogue Banks with Blackbeard's remaining pirate crew. A contemporary account by Ellis Brand of the Virginian guardship Lyme relates; "On the 10 June or thereabouts a large pyrate Ship of forty Guns with three Sloops in her company came upon the coast of North Carolina ware they endeavour'd to goe in to a harbour call'd Topsail Inlett; the Ship stuck upon the bar att the entran...
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Warrant Issued for Blackbeard's Arrest! August 11, 1718: Governor William Keith of Pennsylvania issues a warrant for Blackbeard's arrest based on the belief Thache is trading with merchants in Philadelphia. "Upon an Informacon that one Teach a Noted Pirate, who has Done the Greatest Mischeif of any to this Place, has been Lurking for some Days in & about this Town I have Granted a Provincial warrant for his being apprehended, if possible to be found, & Several other petty Informacons of Late gives me Cause to Suspect that many of the Pirates that have Lately Surrendered themselves & Obtained Certificates from this & the neighbouring Governments, do still keep a Correspondence with their Old Companions abroad. To Prevent the Evil Consequences, whereof I am of Opinion it will be Convenient on the Sixth Day of the Next Month When his Majesties Act of Grace to the Pirates doth Expire, to publish a Proclamation here, Certifying a fresh the Encouragements whic...
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