Some of the earliest evidences of the famous skull and crossbones layout on a pirate flag dates back December 6, 1687. An entry was found in the logbook in the possession of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. It shows how pirates used the flag on land and not on water.
Currently, the Jolly Roger symbolizes adventure and is one of the most recognizable designs as far as pirates are concerned. Even though these are used recreationally today in happier occasions, the real history of the flag actually involves a lot of killing, robbery and bloodshed. Ships were modified to house guns and cannons so these were primarily made for sea battles.
Today, pirate ships are faster and feature state-of-the-art tools. There are pirates today that use satellites to find tankers and cargo ships. These may also include powerful weapons and smaller vessels that allow the pirates to board target ships. The pirate ships today are actually more dangerous and render effective attacks compared to boats in the past. The sight of earlier pirate ships would instantly cause target vessels to surrender while today’s vessels use stealth.
There are also different versions of the Jolly Roger flag. There are red flags that include yellow stripes and other designs that mean death. Some pirates use black flags, ribbons and colored pennants. Captain Richard Hawkins also indicated how the quarter was given under the red and black flag. The black flag had quarter underneath while the red flag did not have any. The information was provided way back in the 18th century.