Born on September 19
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Arr. That's it. That's the day.
Next: September 19, 2027
Where it comes from
Two friends in Oregon, John Baur and Mark Summers, invented Talk Like a Pirate Day in 1995 during a game of racquetball and kept it as a private joke for years. In 2002 they wrote to humour columnist Dave Barry, who devoted a column to it, and the day went global overnight.
How it's celebrated
Saying 'arr', 'ahoy' and 'shiver me timbers' in inappropriate settings. Some restaurants give free food to anyone who orders in pirate, offices hold costume days, and Facebook has offered an 'English (Pirate)' language setting.
Did you know
The 'pirate accent' everyone imitates is mostly the West Country English of actor Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver in Disney's 1950 Treasure Island.
Read the full story of International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Star sign
Virgo · August 23 – September 22 · Earth sign
Careful and kind, the one who notices what everyone else missed.