Biography of jolly roger

Today I found out the origins of the Jolly Roger flags.

Ships throughout history typically stocked a variety of different flags used for sending a message, signaling other ships, and for identifying themselves.

For instance, in the 17th and 18th centuries, English privateers were to fly a specific version of the Union Jack, distinguishing themselves from English naval vessels which flew a different version of the Union Jack. Pirate ships were no different, excepting perhaps that they often carried flags for more nefarious reasons like fooling nearby ships into think they were allies until they got close enough that the other ship couldn’t escape.

The most famous flags flown by pirates to indicate they were such were all called the “Jolly Roger” and were adorned with a variety of artwork or often no art work at all.

Most of these flags were simply black or red with nothing on them. Historical accounts indicate that, should a pirate ship raise a black flag, it