Historian Angus Konstam joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about pirates. Where did the stereotypical pirate accent come from? What did pirates do for fun? Why do we associate parrots and eyepatches with pirates? Who’s the most famous non-fictional pirate in history? Is Jack Sparrow real? Did pirates use sunscreen? Answers to these questions and many more await on Pirate Support.

0:00 Pirate Support
0:13 The pirate accent
1:01 Pirates: Why?
1:36 The Pirate Code
2:10 Pirate pleasures
2:50 Peg legs
3:12 No-no-notorious
3:53 Pirate democracy
4:54 Walk the plank/Peter Pan
5:41 He’s the pauper of the surf, the jester of Tortuga
6:30 Gay pirates
6:59 Privateer vs Pirate
8:12 A little rum and a classic film
8:38 Women were pirates
10:05 Beginning a life of piracy
10:40 SPF Arrrr
10:59 Have we found any treasure?
11:53 Pirate life expectancy
12:19 But why all the parrots
12:37 The beard sounds extremely memorable
13:04 Pirate wear
14:09 Pirate weaponry
15:21 Pirate ships
16:08 Pirates attacked slave ships
17:21 The skull and crossbones flag
17:53 When nature called
18:15 Where was home for a pirate?
19:03 Also, why all the eyepatches?

Thank you to Osprey Publishing for kind permission to use several of their images in this video. You can discover more in these great books:
Pirates 1660-1730:
Pirate: The Golden Age:
The Pirate Menace:

Director: Anna O’Donohue
Director of Photography: Mateo Notsuke
Editor: Richard Trammell
Expert: Angus Konstam
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White; Jasmine Breinburg
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Cameron Hall
Gaffer: Jake Newell
Sound Mixer: Michael Panayiotis
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Paul Tael
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward

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“Dune: Prophecy” stars Jade Anouka, Jessica Barden, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, and Chris Mason visit WIRED to answer the 50 most googled questions about Dune. When does “Dune: Prophecy” take place? Which character is credited with the quote “He who controls the spice controls the universe”? What do the Fremen of Arrakis wear to retain body moisture? Why does Dune and its related works have so many Arabic words? And is Paul Atreides ultimately the villain in Dune? Hear answers to these questions and many more as the cast of “Dune: Prophecy” answer the most googled questions about Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction opus.

Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Constantine Economides
Editor: Daniel Poler
Talent: Jade Anouka; Jessica Barden; Josh Heuston; Chloe Lea; Chris Mason
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Talent Booker: Lauren Mendoza
Camera Operator: Christopher Eustache; Caleb Weiss
Sound Mixer: Sean Paulsen
Production Assistant: Sonia Butt
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward

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Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña, stars of the 2024 film “Emilia Pérez,” visit WIRED to answer their most searched for questions on Google. Where is Selena Gomez from? Is she friends with her “Only Murders In The Building” co-star Steve Martin? Can Selena Gomez speak Spanish? When did Zoe Saldaña get married? Who does she play in the “Guardians Of The Galaxy” films? What sunglasses does Zoe Saldaña wear? Answers to these questions and many more await on the WIRED Autocomplete Interview of Selena Gomez & Zoe Saldaña.

EMILIA PÉREZ is available now on Netflix,

Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Constantine Economides
Editor: Cory Stevens
Talent: Selena Gomez; Zoe Saldana
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White; Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Talent Booker: Meredith Judkins
Camera Operator: Jeremy Harris
Sound Mixer: Rebecca O’Neill
Production Assistant: Kalia Simms; JasmineSkyy Forcer
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larse
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward

Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►►
Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►►
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Follow WIRED:
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ABOUT WIRED
WIRED is where tomorrow is realized.