Think "pirate" and your mind fills with wild thugs from fiction and fancy. But now North America's only known pirate shipwreck is giving us glimpses of the truth—more complex, more interesting.

The Whydah sank off New England in April 1717. Her captain, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and 143 others died with her. Armed with Whydah clues and informed imaginations, historians have begun speculating about Bellamy's crew. Explore the real life of real pirates.