This man, Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard…

…was the master of dramatic presentation. Seriously, he could give Batman lessons.

Blackbeard cultivated a ferocious appearance to seem even more menacing: a long dark beard, numerous knives, swords and pistols strapped to his chest — even lighted fuses in his hair.

Now we have the remnants of his sword.

It’s one of the latest finds aboard the remains of the ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge, known at one time to be the flagship of Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The vessel ran aground on a North Carolina sandbar in 1718 and was abandoned; modern archaeologists have been excavating the shipwreck for more than a decade. The design and ornamentation of this newest discovery have led the researchers to believe it likely belonged to the notorious pirate himself.

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