Brevity can say much…

February 18, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Often times very brief, inconspicuously located reports (see below) can be just filled with historical significance. There were many newspaper reports announcing the Declaration of Independence with a simply one sentence statement.

Another report which is significant yet brief is found in “The London Gazette” from England, May 26, 1701. The back page, with no heading save for the “London, May 23” dateline, has the report shown in the photo. This newspaper remains one of the premier issues for those adding significant pirate reports to their collection.

Death of Blackbeard, the pirate…

January 18, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Pirates have fascinated many through the years, both the historian and the average man on the street, evidenced by the large number of successful movies with a pirate theme. Witness the recent success of the three “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies starring Johnny Depp.

Blackbeard remains one of the more interesting characters from the golden age of piracy, primarily 1680 thru 1720. The report of his death was provided with some detail on the front page of “The London Gazette” issue of April 25, 1719. Enjoy the photos.

Blackbeard_death