In 1718, ships sailing along the Carolina coast began disappearing.
Sailors whispered about a pirate who seemed larger than life — a man with a smoking beard, a black flag, and a reputation so terrifying that many captains surrendered without firing a single shot.
His name was Blackbeard.
But the real story is stranger than the legend.
A royal pardon.
A small colonial town.
Accusations of corruption.
And a final battle that would turn a pirate into one of the most enduring figures in American history.
More than three hundred years later, people along the Outer Banks still tell stories about him.
And some say the coast hasn’t quite let him go.
In this episode of History’s Dark Corners, we step into the rise, fall, and legend of Blackbeard the Pirate.
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