In the spring of 1731, off the coast of what is now Florida, Captain Robert Jenkins lost his ear.
It occurs to me that ‘lost’ is perhaps too innocuous a word for the full context of this story, so perhaps I should explain.
On April 9th of that year, Captain Jenkins’ ship (the HMS Rebecca) was boarded by the Spanish Coast Guard on suspicion of smuggling. The Spaniards, who it must be noted were almost certainly privateers (legally protected pirates), then plundered the Rebecca’s cargo, beat and abused the crew, and cut off Jenkins’ ear.