Here's the answers me hearties...
1. In what month is National “Talk like a Pirate” Day?
May, November, or September
(September 19) Started by a group of guys playing handball one day but really brought to life by an article by Dave Barry.
2. Despite her French name this pirate was born in England in 1636 and began her pirate career when she led a mutiny against a cruel captain and cut off his head.
Nicole St Marie, Charlotte De Berry or Juliet Larue
(Charlotte De Berry) She killed her husband and two slaves for food to keep her crew and herself from starving to death while out at sea. Blimey!
3. This notorious lady pirate was once married to a sailor in the West Indies who was an informant for Governor Woodes Rogers, turning other sailors in for piracy and reaping generous rewards for it.
Anne Bonney, Mary Read or Charolette De Berry
(Anne Bonney). She despised him for it and one day she met a pirate named Calico Jack in a local tavern and ran away with him to begin her own life of piracy.
4. What was the real name of the famous pirate “Blackbeard” who met his end after a battle with the British Navy in 1713?
John Rackham, Edward Thatch or Samuel Bellamy
(Edward Thatch aka Teach) By the way, it took five gunshot wounds and 20 stab wounds to finally do him in.
5. Which ship was Blackbeard’s head suspended from as a warning to all pirates?
The Black Jewel, HMS Ranger, The Swallow
HMS Ranger
6. Which of these words was used for pirates operating in the Mediterranean?
Privateer, Buccaneer or Corsiar
(Corsair) Corsairs preyed upon the shipping lanes of the Mediterranean. The most famous corsairs were from the Barbary Coast of North Africa.
7. Which of these words is NOT another term for pirates?
Picaroons, Kapers, Swabs, Freebooters
(Swabs) A swab is traditionally someone who has been assigned the duty of "swabbing" or cleaning the decks of a ship, rather frequently. All the other terms refer to the different names pirates acquired in certain regions of the world. Kapers were Dutch pirates, freebooters was an English name for pirates, and picaroons came from a Spanish word meaning "rogue
8. Many of the most notorious and feared pirates were women. The earliest of these was an Irish woman known as “Granuaille” or “The Pirate Queen” – what was her real name?
Mary Read, Grace O’Mally, Anne Bonny
(Grace O’Mally) She was the only daughter of a sea captain, after he died when she was a teenager; she went to sea, taking command of his ships. She fought for her rights and the rights of her countrymen.
9. One of the most famous pirates ever to sail was Captain Henry Morgan (yes, the chap on the rum bottle). He died at the age of 53. What was his fate?
His crew mutinied and killed him, He was hanged or He died in his bed
(He died in his bed) After a 17 year career of piracy on the Spanish Main, Moran ended his days as a respectable and wealthy planter in Jamaica.
10. Which type of pirates was commissioned by their governments to be authorized to seize and destroy merchant vessels of another nation?
Raider, Privateer or Buccaneer
(Privateer) Privateers were a very cheap way for governments to keep navies small and cheap.
11. The character “Jack Sparrow” in the Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” is an actual historical pirate.
True or False
(False) The character of Jack Sparrow is strictly fictional.
12. Which of these famous historical figures was kidnapped by Cilician pirates in 75 BC?
Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar or Aristotle
(Julius Caesar) In 75 BC, while sailing to Rhodes, Greece; Caesar was captured. The pirates asked for a payment of 20 talents to set him free. He joked with them saying, he was worth fifty. After they freed him, he hunted them down and killed them.
13. Who was entitled to a double share of the loot and booty?
Owner of the ship, Captain of the ship or the ship’s Surgeon
(Captain) And sometimes the Quartermaster
14. John Rackham was an English pirate captain who was known by what nickname?
Calico Jack, Peg Leg Pete, Bluebeard
(Calico Jack) John Rackham was a pirate captain during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the colorful calico clothes he wore. John Rackham and his crew were executed in Jamaica. Bluebeard was another real pirate, but both Long John Silver and Peg Leg Pete are literary pirates.
15. Who disguised herself as a man in order to join John Rackham’s crew aboard the “Revenge” where she became his lover?
Joan Hamilton, Anne Bonney or Grace O’Malley
(Anne Bonney) Anne took part in combat alongside the male pirates and accounts describe her as competent, effective in combat and someone who gained the respect of her fellow pirates. According to legend, she once stabbed a fellow pirate through the heart when he discovered her gender.
16. Literary pirate Long John Silver had a parrot. What was its name?
Polly, Pieces of Eight or Captain Flint
(Captain Flint) Long John named his feathered companion after the dreaded Captain Flint, the bloodthirstiest pirate leader in all fiction.
17. A common alcoholic drink loved by pirates was a rum, water, lemon juice and sugar mixture called what?
Caulker, Grog, Belay
(Grog)
18. What is the pirate flag (skull and crossbones) commonly called?
The Jolly Rodger, The Davy Jones, The Terrible Towel
(Jolly Roger) Thought to have come from medieval Templar Knights who flew a red flag with crossbones on it. When several knights took up lives of piracy, they kept the flag and it caught on.
19. How did Red Legs Greaves get his nickname?
The color of tights he favored, the way his legs would continually sunburn in the tropical sun, or because of the bright red color of the hair on his legs
(Sunburn)
20. Pirates had strict rules aboard their vessels and anyone violating the rules were punished. They had many punishments aboard ship, but which of these is not believed to have been a real punishment used by pirates?
Cat o’nine tails, Walking the plank, or Marooning
(Walking the plank) Walking the plank is a popular pirate punishment in fiction, but there are no records of it actually being used by real pirates. If you were marooned you were left on a small island with no resources. You would be given a pistol so that you could shoot yourself. Cat o' nine tails was a type of whip. It had nine pieces of cow or horsehide that were knotted at the ends. Many men didn’t survive this lashing.