February 1, 1689 - Samuel Bellamy
Bellamy's brief career — less than a year of active piracy — nonetheless made him one of the most successful pirates of the early 18th century, capturing dozens of vessels before his death at sea. His reputation rested as much on restraint as on plunder; he was known for offering captured crews the chance to join him and for avoiding gratuitous violence, a posture that distinguished him from many of his contemporaries. The wreck of his flagship, the Whydah, recovered off Cape Cod in 1984, remains the only fully authenticated pirate shipwreck ever excavated.
From Wikipedia
Captain Samuel Bellamy (c. 23 February 1689 – 26 April 1717), erroneously known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor turned pirate during the early 18th century. He is best known as one of the wealthiest pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy. Though his known career as a pirate captain lasted little more than a year, he and his crew captured at least 53 ships.
Posthumously called "Black Sam" in Cape Cod folklore - supposedly because he eschewed the fashionable powdered wig in favor of tying back his long black hair with a simple band - Bellamy became known for his mercy and generosity toward those he captured on his raids. This legend earned him another nickname, the "Prince of Pirates". He likened himself to Robin Hood, with his crew calling themselves "Robin Hood's Men".
Bellamy was born in England in 1689, and began sailing for the British Royal Navy as a teenager. After traveling to Cape Cod around 1715, he then went south to the Florida coast in an effort to locate a sunken treasure fleet.
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