[alexg]

For theme park buffs, Disneyland's "Pirates of the Caribbean" is considered to be the gold standard of amusement rides. Its plot—a peaceful bayou boat ride rip-roaringly interrupted by a pack of pirates—has lent inspiration to pretty much every experience-based theme park ride since, from Universal Studio's "Jurassic Park" to the various Six Flags superhero roller coasters. And the impressive special effects, once way ahead of their time when it was built in the mid-'60s, are now standard practice for blockbuster attractions. From the moment the first animated skull and crossbones yells "Avast there!" ride-goers know they're in for a classic adventure.

[aksjfhasdkfjh8]

After creating such realistic mayhem, the design team was disappointed by "the faux skeletons of the period," which they found "just too unconvincing," reports former Disney producer Jason Surrell in his book Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. So they hit up their friends at UCLA Medical Center and got some grisly props from the anatomy department. Eventually, as fake skeleton technology improved, "a new generation of Imagineers" replaced the real ones, which "were later returned to their countries of origin and given a proper burial," assures Surrell. more

[Jevens55]

But there's one major (and majorly spooky) difference between "Pirates of the Caribbean" and its many descendants: the skeletal pirates strewn about the attraction were once made of real human remains. And some people, including former Disney employees, insist that a few of them still are.

[Cab1945]

The second “el Mulato” was Diego de los Reyes (aka Diego Lucifer). While Restall leaves open the possibility that the first two Diegos were the same person, this Diego concentrated on the Yucatec coast. After he sacked Campeche and Cacalar in 1642, the Spanish crown ordered “every possible remedy to be taken to capture the mulatto pirate.”

[bfever]

One case stands out above all the rest, and Joel A. Rogers spotted it a century away. Thanks to trial records and scholarship, we now have a fairly complete record of the exploits of a man named Thomas Wansley, who, though hardly typical, was a free African-American man arrested and convicted of piracy and murder. (A report of his trial [pdf] is available through the Library of Congress.) here

[martin]

Yet, before he was sentenced, Wansley tried to make a case for racial discrimination. In his words, according to Joseph Gibbs: “I have often understood that there is a great deal of difference in respect of color, and I have seen it in this court. Dawes and Brownrigg were as guilty as I am, and these witnesses have tried to fasten upon me greater guilt than is just; for their life has been given to them. You have taken the blacks from their own country, to bring them here to treat them ill—I have seen this.” Whatever Wansley had seen, the judge didn’t buy it. [links]

[BillRoundsEsq]

Present-Day Piracy

[AndrewBuck]

This caused many countries and companies to be in financial distress. Some of the heavily used ships were trying new routes and sailing into dangerous storms attempting to stay away from the pirates. Hundreds of ships and their cargo were lost due to this. Sometimes the pirates would sail with their precious cargo and they also would find themselves stranded on the shore after a bad storm. The fighting between the Pirates and the merchants continued on. more

[artdegree12]

The Spanish capitalized on the ability to move their spoils. They were very successful in mining operations in North, Central, and South America. Their main headquarters were in Mexico City and Spanish Ships were coming and going for years. Spain became very powerful and Spanish treasures were being transported to Spain. When the British Royal King got word of the Spanish success in America, the war started to take over the Caribbean. here

[chupacabra]

I can not stress enough… do your homework. Read, study, learn, and then do it all over again. Make friends with knowledgeable people that know a thing or two about history. You’ll be surprised how many people would not only want to join your search crew but would also bring something grand to the table to be a part of your adventure. more

[fortcollinmap12]

Now that you know a little bit about the Spanish success and mining in America, think about England and what the King thought when he heard that Spanish ships were sailing back and forth with ships heavily loaded with gold, silver, and other precious resources? more

[silver]

Many of the battles happened in the Caribbean because the only route from America was through the Gulf of Mexico running through the Caribbean Sea. During these 12 years of war, many ships never returned to the ports of Europe. Many of them lay at the bottom of the ocean, full of treasures. The British clearly won the war but there was something new growing on the horizon.

[tashlan]

From the 16th century, large Spanish ships, called galleons, began to sail back to Europe, loaded with precious cargoes that pirates found impossible to resist. So many pirate attacks were made that galleons were forced to sail together in fleets with armed vessels for protection. As Spanish settlers set up new towns on Caribbean islands and the American mainland, these too came under pirate attack. more

[deloop]

Buccaneers lived on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbour, Tortuga, in the 17th century. At first they lived as hunters, but later the governors of Caribbean islands paid the buccaneers to attack Spanish treasure ships. Although raids began in this way, with official backing, the buccaneers gradually became out of control, attacking any ship they thought carried valuable cargo, whether it belonged to an enemy country or not. The buccaneers had become true pirates. here

[FatherMcGruder]

Thousands of pirates were active between 1650 and 1720, and these years are sometimes known as the 'Golden Age’ of piracy. Famous pirates from this period include Henry Morgan, William 'Captain' Kidd, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Though this Golden Age came to an end in the 18th century, piracy still exists today in some parts of the world, especially the South China Seas. more

[extrin]

Corsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. Muslim corsairs, such as the Barbarossa (red beard) brothers, had bases along North Africa’s Barbary Coast, while Christian corsairs were based on the island of Malta. Both used to swoop down on their targets in oar-powered boats called galleys, to carry off sailors and passengers. Unless these unfortunates were rich enough to pay a ransom, they were sold as slaves. more