So Fancy

for playing a particular role. Sean Connery, for example, acted in almost a hundred films throughout the years, but most people remember him best as Agent Double oh seven from the James Bond franchise. Boris Karloff appeared in eighty films before he was ever cast in his starring role as the Lumbering Monster in nineteen ones Frankenstein But to eight. When people hear the name Karlaf, they can't help but imagine his massive figure, dressed all in black with a

pair of bolts protruding from his neck. But one actor is so well known for one particular part it followed him to his grave. Bell O Blasco was born in eighteen eighty two in Hungary. Dropping out of school when he was just twelve years old, he took up acting one year later and got his start performing in local productions while trying to make a name for himself. In nineteen eleven, Blasco moved to Budapest and performed with a

National Theater of Hungary. Although being in a bigger company didn't bring him fame and fortune, so at the outbreak of World War One, he enlisted with the Austro Hungarian Army and fought for two years. When he returned home due to injuries he sustained, he resumed his acting career that he had left behind. After that, Blasco bounced from Hungary to Vienna and then to Berlin for a short

time until finally working his way to America. He earned rave reviews for his portrayal of a villainous character in a ninete stage play, staying in the role when the production moved out to the West Coast. The following year, he started getting cast in American silent films. As it turned out, Universal Studios was looking to cast the role that he originated on Broadway for a film version of

the play. Their first choice, Lon Cheney, who had already terrified audiences as the Phantom of the Opera, had sadly died before production could begin. But although Blasgow had to find the character on the New York stage, producers were cautious about a relatively unknown actor headlining their next major motion picture, and yet they hired him for the project. Both the play and the film told the story of a Transylvanian vampire whose moved to England caused quite a stir.

Based on the e book by brom Stoker, Dracula became a huge hit and catapulted Blasgow to great acclaim. But if you're wondering why you've never heard of Blastgow, there's a good reason why. At this point he no longer went by that last name. You see. Early on in his career he had chosen a stage name to honor his place of birth in Hungary, the town of Lugos, So from nineteen oh three onward, audiences had come to

know him as Bella Lugosi. While he had lived in relative obscurity back in Hungary, Legosi soon found a lucrative niche for himself as the leading man in horror and suspense movies. He went on to star in films like Murders in the Room, Morgue, Son of Frankenstein, and The black Cat. Sadly, as quickly as his star ascended, it came crashing back down. For one, Legosi grew tired of

being typecast as a villain. In fact, Universal had offered him the title role in their upcoming Frankenstein picture after Dracula's box office success, but he refused, saying that the part should be played by some half with extra Instead, the role, of course, went to Boris Karlaf, who would go on to co star with Legosi in five films Later in life. Due to his accent and ethnicity, he found it difficult to break out of the horrors honra. He acted in numerous B movies over the next two decades,

each one more questionable in quality than the last. By the time he died in nineteen fifty six, Legosi had appeared in over one films in roles ranging from mad doctors to evil scientists and even a heroic magician. But he was a shadow of his former self, relying on favors from directors and fellow actors to cast him whenever he needed the work. But even after all of that, his fans remembered him best as Count Dracula, looming over

his prey in his white waistcoats and black cape. Bella Legosi terrified audiences for years as the legendary character, practically defining how the modern vampire appeared on stage and screen for the next century. In fact, his costume was so iconic he was buried in it upon his death. This coffin can be found at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. But now that I think about it, maybe someone should go check on it, you know, just to make sure

he's still inside. One might not consider a pirates in the traditional sense as fancy, but that's apparently what Henry Every wanted to be and successfully ended up being. In fact, when he led a mutiny as the first mate aboard the Charles the Second, he renamed his new ship exactly that, the fancy, a word that perhaps captures Every's essence more

than we yet know. After all, by definition, the word fancy is a faculty of imagination or delight, and that is exactly how you might likewise define the life and legacy of the pirates in question. No now as the King of pirates or the arch pirate, depending on who you ask. Henry Every does not have a lot in common with his fellow pirate lords. Sure he has an unclear beginning and arise to captaincy by seizing the opportunity,

But beyond that he is something of a unicorn. He did not need multiple acts of piracy to cement his legend. He did not need to die in battle or be hanged for his crimes. He was well a bit fancier than all of that. In six Henry sailed for the

volcanic island of param up the coast of Madagascar. There he and his small pirate squadron waited for their pay day, the pay day of all pay days, you could say, And on September seven they spotted that prize, a twenty five ship convoy led by the Grand Mogul on their annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The convoy was laden with treasures from South Asia, treasures intended to be used as offerings once they reached the holy city. Only they would never

reach it. They did, however, put up a fight. Armed with a massive sixteen hundred ton eighty cannon ship as well as a six hundred ton escort, they held their own renowned pirate, Thomas two, was killed during the battle with the mogul vessel and numerous ships in the Pirates squadron were left behind because they simply could not keep up. Perhaps you could say that they just weren't fancy enough.

In fact, the forty six gun Fancy soon found itself accompanied by only two other comrades, the Pearl and the Portsmouth Adventure. So massively outgunned and out numbered, Henry even to the odds with an opening broadside that crippled the mast of the Mogul's ship, the six ton Behemoth, although the ship itself still boasted four hundred well armed soldiers, and while Henry Every led the boarding alongside his men, the Mogul captain Ibrahim fled below decks without a leader.

The Moguls buckled under the ferocity of the Pirates, Henry and his men overtook the vessel, claiming a treasure worth over six hundred thousand pounds at the time roughly ninety three million English pounds today. It is far and away the biggest heist in the history of heists, and it led to the first old wide man hunt all for

the man who engineered it all, Henry Every. The raid had soured the already strained relationship between England and the moguls, with the English now fearing they may lose all of their trade opportunity with India, the only thing that would repair it was the prompt arrest of the man who had caused the whole fiesco. Only no one knew where he was or where he put the treasure. Last anyone had heard, Henry Every had docked the Fancy at Royal Island in the Bahamas in six before moving on to NASA,

where he assumed a new name, Captain Bridgeman. When word reached the governing body that Bridgeman was, in fact Henry Every, they issued a warrant for his arrest, but before they could capture him, he had simply disappeared, as if by magic of his men. Only twenty four were ever found of them. Numerous stories were reported as to where Every intended to go, but no two stories ever matched stup.

Either they were protecting their captain or Henry Every had told different crew members different things to purposely throw off pursuit. Whatever the case, it worked. After there is not a single record of Henry Every, nor his riches, nor the aptly named Fancy. There are some who believe that Every, in true pirate fashion, squandered his riches and died a poor man in England, although there is no evidence to

back up that claim. As such, the end of Henry Every Story is still a mystery, as is the question of what happened to that massive wealth he accumulated, all from a single act of piracy. Now I'd call that fancy. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me and Mankey in partnership

with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious. Yeah,