Arr-chaeology

A team of marine archaeologists in North Carolina believe they've discovered the wreck of Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Blackbeard, who was named Edward (or Edmund) Teach (or Thatch), was the most cinematic of all the real pirates who preyed on shipping in American waters.  He wasn't around for the real Golden Age of piracy in the 17th century; Blackbeard's career began around 1716 (according to Daniel Defoe's General History of the Pyrates, still the best book about piracy), and ended in late 1718, so his enduring reputation comes from only two years' work.  Blackbeard was apparently a shrewd fellow who understood the value of psychological warfare, for when boarding ships he would wear burning fuses in his hat and generally carry on like a complete homicidal maniac -- which of course encouraged ships to surrender without a fight.

But eventually the colonial governments tired of Blackbeard's activities, and Lieutenant-Governor Spotswood of Virginia finally commissioned Lt. Robert Maynard to go out and catch him.  Which he did, near what is now Morehead City, NC.  And that's where divers found the ship 278 years later.  (If it is the right ship -- there's still some dispute over the identity of the wreck, but "Blackbeard's Flagship" sounds a heck of a lot sexier than "Some Old Ship.")