The Real Blackbeard

By Amber Nimocks,

Published May 19, 2011 at 11:35 AM EDT

Journalist and historical researcher Kevin P.Duffus has unraveled some of the most puzzling mysteries of the North Carolina coast. Duffus argues that the popular image of the 18th-century pirate bears little resemblance to the historical figure. As the fourth in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, “On Stranger Tides,” debuts this weekend in theaters across the country featuring a Blackbeard character, played by Ian McShan, Duffus will present new findings about pirate culture at a conference in Washington, N.C. called “Pirate Parley on the Pamlico.”

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Amber Nimocks

Amber Nimocks came to The State of Things in January 2009. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a survivor of 15 years in the newspaper business. As a reporter and editor, her posts have included such exotic locales as her hometown of Fayetteville, Robeson County, Wilmington, Raleigh and Fort Worth, Texas.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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