January 11, 1553 - Jack Ward
Ward's career traced an arc from small-time English privateer to one of the most effective Barbary corsairs of his era, eventually converting to Islam and operating under Ottoman authority from Tunis. His raids on European shipping drew significant diplomatic alarm, and his apparent willingness to train local crews in advanced sailing and gunnery made him a genuinely destabilizing force in Mediterranean commerce.
From Wikipedia
John Ward or Jack Ward (c. 1553 – 1622), also known as Birdy, Sparrow or later as Yūsuf Raʾīs Chagour (يُوْسُف رَئِيْس), was an English pirate who later became a Corsair for the Ottoman Empire operating out of Tunis during the early 17th century.
According to writer Giles Milton, though unverified, Jack Ward was an inspiration for Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
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