Most everyone knows the story of
Robinson Crusoe. There have been several
movies (none of them very good, however) and lots of Crusoe-like stories (Gilligan’s Island, Castaway) about the
fictional charcter. But I wonder how many folks know that Crusoe was based on a real-life person.
Indeed he was. In fact, that person was a Scottish sailor and his name was
Alexander Selkirk. And the island that Selkirk supposedly
washed ashore all those years ago sits 400 miles off the
coast of Chile. It should be noted that unlike Crusoe, who was shipwrecked, Selkirk requested to be put ahsore there
after quarrelling with his privateer’s skipper, Captain Stradling. Dumb idea? Probably, seeing as he reamained on the
island for four years and four months, until his rescue on February 2, 1709.
How do I know all this? Because I’m smart, that’s how. I’m a fricken walking encyclopedia. Oh, and I
read this article.