Major Stede Bonnet

Middle-aged and a retired soldier, Bonnet was an unlikely pirate. Yet he bought a sloop, armed it with 10 guns, and hired a crew of about 60 men. Then he sailed to the east coast of America and embarked on the life of a pirate. At one point he even teamed up briefly with Blackbeard. Bonnet was sometimes known as the Gentleman Pirate. Get more pirate facts at the pirates of the golden age slideshow!