Anne Bonny

Active 1720: American Anne Bonny fell into piracy when she ran off with pirate captain, Jack Rackham. Disguised as a man, she helped him to plunder ships in the Caribbean, but they were captured and Rackham went to the gallows. Bonny escaped the death penalty because she was pregnant.

Mary Read

1690-1720: Mary Read dressed as a man from birth to claim an inheritance, and went on to serve in both the army and navy. She joined the crew of pirate Jack Rackham, where she met fellow female pirate Anne Bonny. The two women are said to have fought more bravely than any of the men. Like Bonny, she escaped hanging because she was pregnant, but she died of an illness soon afterwards.

Charlotte de Berry

Born 1636: Charlotte de Berry disguised herself as a man to join the English Navy with her husband. She was later forced onto a ship bound for Africa and when the captain discovered her secret, he attacked her. De berry took revenge by leading a mutiny and turning the ship to piracy. She operated off the African coast, raiding ships carrying gold.
 

Ching Shih

1807-1910: Madame Ching Shih was the widow of a Chinese pirate captain but turned out to be an even greater pirate leader than her husband. With 1,800 armed junks and around 80,000 men and women, she completely controlled the coastal trade around China.