Henry Every was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. Dubbed the “King of Pirates,” he was one of a very few pirate captains to escape with his loot without being arrested or killed in battle. He is remembered as not only being the perpetrator of the most profitable act of piracy in history, but for being the first subject of a worldwide manhunt. Every’s most famous raid was on a 25-ship convoy of vessels making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. On Sept. 7, 1695, Every joined forced with several other pirate vessels that captured over $800,000 ($143 million today). A combined bounty of $1,340 ($132,800 today) was offered for his capture. Although a number of his crew were subsequently arrested, Every himself eluded capture, vanishing from all records in 1696. He is considered to have died sometime between 1699 and 1714, and his treasure has never been recovered.
