20 Facts About Alexander Selkirk

Alexander Selkirk was a Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer who spent four years and four months as a castaway after being marooned by his captain, initially at his request, on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Stradling's ship stopped to resupply at the uninhabited Juan Fernandez Islands, west of South America, and Alexander Selkirk judged correctly that the craft was unseaworthy and asked to be left there.

Alexander Selkirk was the son of a shoemaker and tanner in Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland, born in 1676.

Alexander Selkirk was back at Largo in 1701 when he again came to the attention of church authorities for assaulting his brothers.

Dampier was captain of St George and Alexander Selkirk served on Cinque Ports, St Georges companion ship, as sailing master under Captain Thomas Stradling.

The easy capture of Asuncion, a heavily laden merchantman, revived the men's hopes of plunder, and Alexander Selkirk was put in charge of the prize ship.

Alexander Selkirk had grave concerns about the seaworthiness of their vessel and wanted to make the necessary repairs before going any further.

Alexander Selkirk declared that he would rather stay on Juan Fernandez than continue in a dangerously leaky ship.

Alexander Selkirk immediately regretted his rashness, but Stradling refused to let him back on board.

At first, Alexander Selkirk remained along the shoreline of Mas a Tierra.

Alexander Selkirk proved resourceful in using materials that he found on the island: he forged a new knife out of barrel hoops left on the beach; built two huts out of pepper trees, one of which he used for cooking and the other for sleeping; and employed his musket to hunt goats and his knife to clean their carcasses.

Alexander Selkirk's prey had cushioned his fall, probably sparing him a broken back.

Alexander Selkirk sang psalms and read from the Bible, finding it a comfort in his situation and a prop for his English.

Alexander Selkirk's pursuers urinated beneath the tree in which he was hiding but failed to notice him.

Alexander Selkirk returned to Lower Largo, where he met Sophia Bruce, a young dairymaid.

Alexander Selkirk was off to sea again, having enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Alexander Selkirk is dressed in the familiar hirsute goatskins, his feet and shins bare.

Oh, Alexander Selkirk knew the plight Of being king and government and nation.

Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe is a stop motion film by Walter Tournier based on Alexander Selkirk's life.

Alexander Selkirk is the only person known to have been on the island at that time who is likely to have had dividers and was even said by Rogers to have had such instruments in his possession.