Blackbeard was one of the most infamous pirates. It's thought that his real name was Edward Teach, and he is believed to have been from Bristol, England. A very tall man for the time period, in a time when the average person was shorter than today, Blackbeard towered over 6 feet tall. His nickname came from a beard which started at eyebrow level and went down to his belt. The beard was supposedly tied into braids.
He wasn't necessarily as successful as some other pirate captains like Bartholomew Roberts, who was known to have taken over 400 ships. A paper historical trail exists starting in early 1717 and ends with Blackbeard's death in November 1718. He used psychological warfare to his advantage to create fear among his crew and create a reputation reaching worldwide.
In early June of the year 1718, Blackbeard arrived at the entrance to Charleston Harbor with four ships and over 400 pirates. He sealed off the harbor for a week. Every ship that tried to enter or leave was captured. It was one of the largest pirate attacks to have ever occurred on the American coastline. Charleston was the first American city to be blockaded by not just a pirate ship, but an entire pirate fleet.
