10 February 16

Today marks the 294th anniversary of the death of John "Bartholomew" Roberts (1682-1722), famous nowadays as the inspiration for the "Dread Pirate Roberts" character(s) in the movie "The Princess Bride." The real Bartholomew Roberts was "the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy as measured by vessels captured, taking over 470 prizes in his career. . . . Roberts was the archetypal pirate captain in his love of fine clothing and jewelry, but he had some traits unusual in a pirate, notably a preference for drinking tea rather than rum." (from Wikipedia). There's no evidence that he ever needed an eye patch, but I made one for myself today.