#alexanderselkirk

In 1704, Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk made a decision everyone thought was insane.

As his ship slowly rotted and took on water, he became convinced that staying on board meant certain death. So he asked to be left behind on a remote Pacific island.

For the next four years and four months, he survived alone.

He built shelters from wood and palm leaves, hunted wild goats, tamed feral cats to keep rats away at night, and endured complete isolation.

Was he right? Click on the link to watch the full story

His unbelievable story would eventually inspire one of the greatest adventure novels ever written: Robinson Crusoe.

Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk (or Selcraig, 1676-1721) was a Scotsman famously marooned for four years and four months on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean until his rescue by a passing British ship in February 1709. His story inspired the title character of the acclaimed 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (c. 1660-1731).

Selkirk was on a privateering expedition in the Pacific when he was marooned on the remote Juan Fernández Islands. He might have suffered over four years of solitude but he fared better than his shipmates who were subsequently shipwrecked and taken to a Spanish prison. Selkirk’s fortunes improved remarkably following the capture of a Spanish treasure ship by the expedition that had rescued him. Living well off his share of the booty in England, Selkirk became an officer in the Royal Navy before dying at sea in 1721.

Early Life

Alexander Selkirk, sometimes given as Selcraig, was born in Scotland in 1676. He was the son of a shoemaker and had six brothers. His first appearance in the historical records is that he was found guilty of indecent behaviour, of all places, in church. He then went to sea and became officer material thanks to his skill in mathematics and using navigational instruments. In 1703, he joined the fateful privateering expedition of William Dampier (c. 1651-1715), destined for adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk (o Selcraig, 1676-1721) fue un escocés famoso por haber sido abandonado durante cuatro años y cuatro meses en una isla desierta en el océano Pacífico hasta su rescate por un barco británico que pasaba en febrero de 1709. Su historia inspiró el personaje principal de la aclamada novela de 1719 Robinson Crusoe, de Daniel Defoe (en torno a 1660-1731).

Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk (ou Selcraig, 1676-1721) était un Écossais, célèbre pour avoir été abandonné pendant quatre ans et quatre mois sur une île déserte de l'océan Pacifique, jusqu'à son sauvetage par un navire britannique en février 1709. Son histoire inspira le personnage principal du célèbre roman Robinson Crusoé de Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), paru en 1719.

Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk (or Selcraig, 1676-1721) was a Scotsman famously marooned for four years and four months on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean until his rescue by a passing British ship in February 1709. His story inspired the title character of the acclaimed 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (c. 1660-1731).