The book offers a comprehensive biography that shaped perceptions of pirates, and it was first sold in 1724. Captain Charles Johnson authored the book, but his true identity remains uncertain. Johnson is suspected to be a pseudonym for Daniel Defoe or Nathaniel Mist.

The book was a bestseller and introduced pirates like Henry Avery, Blackbeard, and Anne Bonny, figures who inspired many hits, including The Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Most of the events in the book and the tales from the golden age of piracy that people think are facts are fictional.

Most pirate cliches, like buried treasures, inebriated pirates, and walking the plank were invented by Robert Louis Stevenson for the 1883 novel Treasure Island. But what were the real pirates of the Caribbean actually like? Were they terrorists or revolutionaries?

As with most things, the truth is somewhere in between. Around 4,000 pirates were plundering the sea during the golden age of piracy, and early pirates sailed between western India and the Red Sea in the 1690s. They later turned to Spanish and European shipping routes in the Caribbean.

The peaking point of pirate mayhem was around 1720. At that time, about 32 ships with pirate crews were active in the Caribbean at any given time. There were pirates from all age groups, from 14 to 50, but most were in their 20s. Most were also English, and about a quarter were Americans.

Unlike Hollywood’s stories, pirates were men of the sea, not aristocrats avenging their lost honor. Pirate crews were diverse, with men from all walks of life, but most were from the merchant shipping industry or sailors in the Royal Navy. The life of crushing labor, harsh discipline, and poor food they were given was probably what made them choose the pirate life.

The unifying idea for all pirates was the dream of fortune and wealth. A pirate could earn the salary of a sailor a hundred or thousandfold. There were also cases of astronomical plunder, but pirates often spent their wealth unwisely and squandered it as quickly as they gained it.

The golden age of piracy ended when many pirates were hanged while others were killed in battles. One myth of that age that is somewhat true was that there was some egalitarian order among some crews. Pirates signed articles to control life at sea, and everyone could vote while getting a fair share of the spoils. In the end, piracy was more a short act of defiance.

In a recent Las Vegas auction, a 1908 Strap Tank model Harley-Davidson motorcycle fetched an impressive $935,000, making it the most expensive motorcycle ever sold. The bike’s name comes from the use of nickel-plated steel bands to secure the fuel and oil tanks to the frame.

A 1908 Harley-Davidson Was Sold

Harley-Davidson manufactured only 450 motorcycles in 1908, and few of these have survived to the present day. The recently sold Strap Tank model, which fetched $935,000 at the Las Vegas auction, still retains many of its original parts, including the wheels, tank, seat cover, muffler sleeve, and engine belt pulley. The bike was discovered by businessman David Uihlein in a barn approximately 70 miles from Milwaukee in 1941. He kept the bike for 66 years before teaming up with Indiana-based collector Paul Freehill to restore it to its original condition. The bike’s color scheme is mostly gray with red accent striping and a prominent orange Harley-Davidson logo.

The restoration work carried out on the bike was one of the factors that contributed to its high sale price. However, even the experts at the auction house were taken aback by the final sale value. They acknowledged that while they had marketed the bike well, they were still surprised by the record-breaking sale.

The Harley-Davidson Was Fully Restored

Collectors consider the Strap Tank to be the oldest available Harley-Davidson motorcycle because the earlier models have been lost over time. The Strap Tank model was produced in the company’s factory on Chestnut Street, which is now Juneau Avenue, in Milwaukee. The motorcycles built during the company’s early days are highly prized among collectors, as they set the standard for all subsequent production.

The Harley-Davidson company has its origins in Milwaukee, where William Harley and Arthur Davidson, along with the latter’s brothers, founded it in 1903. They initially built prototypes in a small shed but went on to make their brand one of the most well-known around the world. In 2003, on the occasion of the company’s centennial, Robert F. Howe wrote that the Harley-Davidson motorcycle had evolved into a symbol of American culture.