Born 1946

For the past few centuries, pirates have been portrayed as romantic figures. In books and movies they have been shown as both fiercely cruel and dashingly brave, skillful fighters whose adventurous, treasure-stealing lives defied the rules of a civilized world. Yet few historical clues have been left behind to support these ideas. In 1984 salvager Barry Clifford discovered the pirate ship Whydah off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The more than 100,000 artifacts recovered from the vessel, shipwrecked in 1717, would reveal that pirates’ lives were quite different than imagined.

Clifford grew up in the town of Brewster on Cape Cod, and was attracted to the outdoor life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing in the woods and marshes around his home. He was fascinated by the tales of sea adventure told by his Uncle Bill, especially those about the Whydah, the sailing ship commanded by pirate...