Anne Bonny is one of the most famous outlaws in history, yet her entire verified criminal career lasted just 61 days. This episode untangles the real woman from the mountain of myth, contrasting 1720s trial transcripts with a sensationalized 1724 pirate biography.

Much of what people think they know about Bonny's early life was invented by Captain Charles Johnson, with no supporting records. We follow her documented burst into history in Nassau, her work as a powder monkey, her capture, and the legal maneuver that spared her from the gallows.

• Why historians believe her scandalous origin story was fabricated
• The midnight theft of the sloop William with Calico Jack and Mary Read
• Eyewitness testimony describing her in men's clothing wielding a machete
• Pleading the belly to stay her execution after conviction ...