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Alexander Selkirk

File:Selkirk_reading_his_Bible.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Alexander Selkirk

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Also known as Alexander Selcraig

British sailor

OverviewAI-generated

Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721) was a male sailor who held citizenship in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Born in Lower Largo, he spoke English and was described in the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. His native name is recorded as Alexandre Selcraig.

Selkirk died of yellow fever from natural causes on 13 December 1721 in Cape Coast, where he was also buried. Open Library lists him as the author of one work, a photocopy of his will, while Crossref attributes five works to him.

Synthesized by Vinony from 24 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, MusicBrainz, Open Library, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1676
Died
1721
Works
1

Top works

  • (Photocopy of the will of Alexander Selkirk

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Key facts

Born
1676, Lower Largo , Fife , Scotland
Died
13 December 1721 (aged 45), Cape Coast , Gold Coast
Occupation
Sailor
Known for
Inspiring Robinson Crusoe
Parent s
John Selcraig, Euphan Mackie

via Wikipedia infobox

~23 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Alexander Selkirk (1676 – 13 December 1721) was a Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer who spent four years and four months as a castaway (1704–1709) after being marooned by his captain, initially at his request, on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Selkirk was an unruly youth and joined buccaneering voyages to the South Pacific during the War of the Spanish Succession. One such expedition was on Cinque Ports, captained by Thomas Stradling, under the overall command of William Dampier. Stradling's ship stopped to resupply at the uninhabited Juan Fernández Islands, west of South America, and Selkirk judged correctly that the craft was unseaworthy and asked to be left there. Selkirk's suspicions were soon justified, as Cinque Ports foundered near Malpelo Island 400 km (250 mi) from the coast of what is now Colombia.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Alexander Selkirk” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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