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).
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Definition
Timeline
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1676Alexander Selkirk is born in Scotland.
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1703Alexander Selkirk joins the privateering expedition of William Dampier bound for the Pacific.
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Oct 1704Alexander Selkirk is marooned on the Juan Fernández Islands.
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Feb 1709Alexander Selkirk is rescued from the Juan Fernández Islands by Woodes Rogers during his privateering circumnavigation.
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Oct 1711Alexander Selkirk returns to Britain after an eight-year absence.
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1721Alexander Selkirk dies at sea of tropical fever.
