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One of the most terrifying pirates in history, Edward Teach operated out of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, harassing ships carrying tobacco, dyes and sugar in and out of the British Colonies. In addition to making off with these ships' cargo and reselling it himself, he also took on the supertankers of the day: slave ships. His most audacious exploit, however, was the blockade of Charleston, North Carolina, in which Blackbeard looted several ships but made only one real ransom demand: a chest of medicine in exchange for hostages.

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