10. Burning Bright and Burning Out Fast
Likening himself to Robin Hood, Black Sam Bellamy’s pirate career was brief, lasting little more than a year. Despite its brevity, Black Sam’s career was one of the most prolific and spectacular years in the history of piracy, during which he captured over 50 ships, quite a few of them bearing rich cargoes. Collectively, those prizes made him the richest pirate in recorded history.
In contrast to other pirates who became notorious for their gratuitous cruelty, Black Sam stood out for his shows of mercy. It earned him another nickname: the “Prince of Pirates”. He met his end off Cape Cod, where the Whydah Gally was driven ashore and wrecked by a nor’easter on April 26th, 1717. The ship sank quickly, drowning Black Sam and all but two of her 145 man crew.