00:00 This podcast episode is about pirates and their definition as individuals who use boats to attack and harm others for private gain, operating outside of government authority.

04:05 Piracy has a long history dating back to the fourth century BCE and has been driven by economic factors such as poverty and trade opportunities, with famous pirates like the Corsairs and the Barbary pirates emerging during different time periods.

08:07 The golden age of piracy lasted for about 40 years between 1690 and 1730, during which famous pirates like Blackbeard and Calico Jack emerged, with Calico Jack allowing women pirates like Anne Bonny and Mary Reed on his ship. This era was characterized by the abundance of trade opportunities between Africa, America, and Europe, with African slaves being tapped for slavery due to a trade wind that made transportation easy. Pirates during this time typically pillaged goods like sugar, rum, and molasses, although there were instances of treasure like the pirate ship Wida that went down off the coast of Cape Cod with chests of gold and jewels. The traditional image of pirates, including the Jolly Roger flag, is largely influenced by the golden age of piracy and popular culture.

12:11 The Jolly Roger flag was used by pirates to mislead other ships and make them surrender their cargo, and pirates would often give crews the choice to join them or be marooned on a deserted island.

15:55 Pirates used smaller ships like sloops and schooners, as well as larger ships like brigantines, to quickly attack and plunder other ships, often using grappling hooks to board and disable the rudder, and ideally, they wanted the other ship to surrender without a fight.

19:36 Piracy has experienced a resurgence in the 21st century due to a struggling economy, reluctance of shipmasters to report attacks, smaller crews on ships, and the lawlessness of Somalia, which serves as a haven for modern pirates.

23:24 The Gulf of Aden is a hot spot for piracy because a significant amount of the world's oil and goods pass through it, and it is located next to a country without a functioning central government.

27:12 If you ever find yourself commanding an oil tanker and see pirates approaching, you should call for help, sound the alarm, turn on your lights, and use fire hoses or electrify the hull to deter their attack.

30:40 The hosts discuss a listener's personal experience with a hostage situation involving a baby as a human shield and how the police used negotiation tactics to resolve the situation without force.