On This Day… The Real Robinson Crusoe!
Written by: George Chittenden : 01 Jul 2019
It was on this day, 2nd February, back in 1709 when the real-life Robinson Crusoe, was rescued after spending more than four years as a castaway on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean. His name was Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish privateer, and despite popular belief he wasn’t marooned.
In actual fact he chose to remain on that island after his ship, Cinque Ports, stopped for provisions there. Selkirk considered the ship to be unseaworthy as its hull was leaking and asked to be left there. It was a move the castaway quickly regretted, however the ship did eventually sink approximately 250 miles off the coast of what is now Colombia, so it wasn’t such a bad move.
His story of survival became world famous after his return to England, thanks to writer Daniel Defoe. Personally, I find that one of the most fascinating elements of this story is the identity of the man who saved him. Believe it or not it was the one and only Captain Woodes Rogers, famous privateer and the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas!
Search
By Era
To 5000 BCE 5000 - 2000 BCE 2000 BCE - 0 0 - 400 CE 400 - 800 CE 800 - 1100 CE 1100 - 1500 CE 1500 - 1700 CE 18th Century 19th Century 1900's 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010'sBy Topic
Royal British Roman North American Egyptian Nautical European Social WW1 Military Viking Asian African Australian South American Political Celebrity WW2 Religion
We promote history by...
offering free articles and videos, providing free history experiences for children in schools and on weekends. Next year we will be visiting hospitals and providing unforgettable experiences to children who really need it and give them a chance to forget their condition, their treatment and their reality.
Please join others who support our free projects by giving a small donation. We can only continue our great work with your help.
