Many boys love reading about the legends of old pirates   and dreaming of their own wild adventures. But modern pirates are not a thing of the past. Last month Somali pirates did their boldest hijacking   to date. They seized the Saudi supertanker   Sirius Star carrying crude oil worth about $100 million. They demanded $15 million to free the ship and its crew. The pirates have kept hitting the headlines this year: 92 attacks have been attempted, with 36 successful hijackings and 268 crew members taken hostage  . The Chinese fishing ship Tianyu 8, with 17 Chinese and 8 foreigners on board, has been in their hands since November 14. Of course piracy   is nothing new. Even since there has been water and ships there have been pirates. The earliest documented history of pirates dates back to the 13thcentury in the Mediterranean Sea. Even the famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates. Piracy reached its peak in the mid-1700s. It was during this time in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa that men like "Blackbeard the Pirate" made this profession attractive. But with the creation of stronger national Navies piracy became less popular around the world. In the mid-20thcentury, most pirates were petty   thieves. They used hooks to sneak   on board ships at anchor, and grabbed all that they could find. _  However, nowadays piracy has become a multi-million-dollar business at tracting many in poor countries. Pirates are treated like heroes among local fishermen. They use satellite phones and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Once they spot their target, they swarm the ship with fast boats and shoot it by firing AK-47s or even rocket-propelled grenades  . Then they hold the ship and its crews for money. "The world should take forceful actions together to fight piracy," said leaders at the Asian and Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru. "However, putting in anti-piracy army can only be half of the solution. We have to protect the fair chance of Somali fishermen to get a good living and keep them from the lure of easy money," said Peter Lehr, a lecturer in terrorism studies. When did piracy reach its peak?
In the 13 thcentury. In the mid-1700s. In the mid-20 thcentury. November 14, 2008.