Welcome to Ben Franklin's World,

podcast about Early American History with Liz Covert.

The study of history is key to understanding who we are

and how we can affect a better future.

Van Franklin's world will introduce you to historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world.

And now, here's your host, Liz Colarn.

Hello and welcome to episode 99 of Ben Franklin's world.

The podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early

American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

Lately, pirates have reclaimed a presence in our popular culture.

Thanks to movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and television shows like black sales, we see Pirates as peg-legged

eye-patch-wearing rum-drinking men. But are these representations accurate? What do we really know about

Pirates? Mark Hanna, an associate professor of history at the University of California San Diego,

and author of the award-winning book, Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire,

is going to help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge and and the

best of the British Empire is going to help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge and better understand who pirates were and why they lived the pirates life.

During our conversation, Mark reveals

myths and facts about pirates, why

colonial communities supported pirates and how pirates supported

colonial communities, and the war on pirates, which took place between 1716 and 1726.

But first, can you believe we're on episode 99?

Holy cow!

...