International Talk Like a Pirate Day's 10th Anniversary Celebrated

By KEVIN DOLAK

Psst… what's kind of socks does a pirate wear?

Across the world today, millions of people are celebrating what has quickly become a beloved tradition -- International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

As legend has it, the annual tradition that takes place on September 19 was launched by friends "Ol' Chumbucket" John Baur and "Cap'n Slappy" Mark Summers in Albany, Ore., in 1995 as a means to glamorize the golden age of piracy in maritime history. Though it began as a gag between the two men, the concept quickly caught fire when they contacted Dave Barry, the humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

In a 2002 column, Barry, known for poking fun at life's little foibles, told readers about International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAP), and quickly, the idea hatched by the two Oregonians became a worldwide phenomenon.

"As the name suggests, this is a day on which everybody would talk like a pirate. Is that a great idea, or what? There are so many practical benefits that I can't even begin to list them all," Barry wrote in 2002 .

The holiday is even now celebrated by Pastafarians, or those who adhere to the beliefs of the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster .

So what can the average Joe do to get in on the festivities on this most special of days?

See a Free Show! For those in the New York City area, the producers of the Tony Award-winning Broadway show "Peter and the Starcatchers" are celebrating the day with what they're calling "Stache Day." The first 100 mustached pirates in line can get a free ticket to the show. More info here .

Get Doughnuts! As a proud advocate of ITLAP Day, Krispy Kreme is offering one free glazed doughnut to anyone who enters participation locations and talks like a pirate. But wait, there's more! Walk in wearing full pirate gear, and you'll get a bounty of a free dozen.

Get to Know the Magic Makers! Are you a fan of ABC's "Wife Swap?" Or are you just interested in learning more about ITLAP Day's founders John Baur and Mark Summers? Then track down the 2006 season premiere episode of the show, which featured Baur and Summers and Baur's wife, Tori as "a family of pirates."

Get Online! Stuck in the office for all of ITLAP Day? Never fear, you can get in on the action by pirate-speaking up all of the web pages you visit (for work, of course) with this handy translator .

Get Social! Love Facebook, but tired of seeing everything in plain old English? Never fear, the site's programming wizards have already created a setting so you can pirate-up your feed. Just click on the language setting at the bottom of your profile page and click "English (Pirate)."

Promote the Pirates Life! And if you're a pirate-loving web guru, you can even add a banner to your website letting viewers know you're a staunch supporter of ITLAP Day.

Have Fun! Still need more pirate fun? Head over to ITLAP Day's official website , where you can ask Cap'N Sloppy for advice, take a pirate personality test, play with a name generator, and buy all sorts of ITLAP merchandise.

*And FYI, a pirate's socks, for the most part, are arrrrrrgyle.