It’s a coincidence seeing this article on Hacker News this evening. Earlier today, while planning a trip to County Cork (in Ireland), I’d been reading about the Sack of Baltimore¹. In 1630, the fishing town of Baltimore was attacked by Barbary pirates/slave traders who kidnapped over a hundred residents (mostly English settlers/colonists) and brought them back to Algiers. Those who escaped fled to a nearby town and Baltimore itself was abandoned until the late 18th century.

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Baltimore