3. Henry Every was the pirate who vanished with a fortune
Henry Every (sometimes spelled Avery) was a pirate of note who raided in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean in the late 17th century. Every was notorious for vanishing with the loot from his career as a pirate, eluding those hunting for him for the rest of his life, after he successfully pulled off the most successful raid in the so-called Golden Age of Piracy. In his final raid, Every led a small squadron of associated pirate vessels in an attack on more than two dozen vessels making the pilgrimage to Mecca, seizing gold, precious jewels, silks, and other items which exceeded $52 million in twenty-first century value. Following the raid Every and his ship, Fancy, eventually reached the Bahamas, from which he and his share of the wealth vanished.
Where Every went and how he remained hidden is unknown, though speculation abounds. He was reported to be in Ireland, in Great Britain, in the Caribbean, and in North America. Despite the capture of several of his crew, none could give accurate information as to his whereabouts, since Every had told several different stories of where he would go. A manhunt inspired by a large reward for his capture lasted for over a decade, but the pirate was never found. Nor was evidence of his ill-gotten gains. A legend arose that Every was the ruler of a pirate kingdom in Madagascar, another that he had retired to a quiet life under an assumed name in Devonshire. His exploits as a pirate and his fate after his retirement have been fictionalized and sensationalized to the point that separation of fact and fiction is virtually impossible, beyond the fact that Every was never found, and hasn’t been since his death.