On this Day...

[News Crew]

On this date in 1701, William Kidd was hung for piracy and then his body was placed in a gibbet and displayed on the Thames River in London for 20 years as a warning to other would be pirates.  Kidd was actually hung twice, on the first attempt the rope broke and he was led back up on the gallows and placed in the noose once more and this time the rope held.  Though his crime was piracy more and more historians in recent times have come to Kidd's defense and proclaimed that he wasn't really a pirate at all and was basically railroaded by the politics of the day in his trial in London.  Kidd, realizing he was a wanted pirate and that his ship was marked, changed ships in the Caribbean and reportedly hid a portion of his loot on Gardiners Island in the hopes of using it as a bargaining tool against the authorities, rumors that his loot still lies on the island undiscovered persist to this day.Here is a small summary from WIKIPEDIA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) on his life. William "Captain" Kidd (c. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circa) 1645 – May 23, 1701)Scottish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland) sailor remembered for his trial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial) and execution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution) for piracy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy) after returning from a voyage to theIndian Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean). Some modern historians deem his piratical reputation unjust, as there is evidence that Kidd acted only as a privateer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer). Kidd's fame springs largely from the sensational circumstances of his questioning before the English Parliament (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_England) and the ensuing trial. His actual depredations on the high seas, whether piratical or not, were both less destructive and less lucrative than those of many other contemporary pirates and privateers. Read more on the life of this colorful character and the controversy his hanging bought about HERE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd) 

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