1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Eves, and welcome to this Day in History Class, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: a show that on covers history one day at a time. 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: Today is February two, nineteen. The day was February two, 4 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: seventeen o nine. After four years, in four months of 5 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: being stranded on an island called Masatierra now known as 6 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 1: Robinson Crusoe Island, privateer Alexander Selkirk was rescued. His rescuer 7 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: was Captain Woods Rogers, who came along on a ship 8 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: called the Duke. The Alexander that Rogers picked up wasn't 9 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: much like the Alexander that was left on the island 10 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: years before. Rogers later wrote that Selkirk quote so much 11 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: forgot his language for want of use, that we could 12 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: scarce understand him, for he seemed to speak his words 13 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: by halves. And that kind of transformation is to be 14 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: expected when someone spent years adjusting to life alone on 15 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 1: an island full of rats and feral cats. But selkirk 16 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: story of being a castaway on an island in the 17 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: South Pacific is a fantastic tale, so much so that 18 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: it may have inspired Daniel Dafoe's book Robinson Cruso Alexander 19 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: Selkirk was an adventurous seafair with a bit of a 20 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: troubled past. He was born in sixteen seventy six in 21 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: Lower Largo, Scotland. Even though his father wanted him to 22 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: be a shoemaker, Alexander had other dreams. He wanted to 23 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: live out at sea, and in he did so, running 24 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: off to sea on a day he was supposed to 25 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: appear in front of church elders. For his transgressions, It's 26 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: not known where he went, but he didn't stay away forever. 27 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 1: In seventeen o one, he beat his brother for laughing 28 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: at him when he accidentally drank salt water. In the 29 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: scuffle that followed, he also assaulted his father, his other brother, 30 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: and maybe even his father's wife. He did go on 31 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: to appear before the church elders, but apparently he'd had 32 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: enough of the town. In seventeen o three, he left 33 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: on a privateering expedition to South America with buccaneer William Dampier. 34 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: Touting his math and geography skills. He got a job 35 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: as a navigator aboard the sink Ports and they set 36 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: sail in September. But about a year after they left, 37 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: conditions aboard the ship were miserable. The ship's captain, twenty 38 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: one year old Lieutenant Thomas Stradling, was not liked, to 39 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: say the least, and the ship was so leaky that 40 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: the men had to keep pumping water out of it. 41 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: Selkirk was sure the ship was near falling apart, so 42 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: they went back to the island of Masatierra, where they 43 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: had been before, and stocked up on turnips, goats and 44 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: other provisions, and after a month the captain was ready 45 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: to set sail again, but the ship still hadn't been repaired, 46 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: and Alexander was worried that the worm eaten vessel would 47 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: not make the open sea, and definitely not the battles 48 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: it would have to endure. When Straddling made it clear 49 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: that he was intent on setting off, Selkirk basically through 50 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: a tantrum, albeit a valid one. Alexander was left on 51 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: the island with his bedding, a musket, a pistol, gunpowder, 52 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: a hatchet, a knife, his navigation tools, a pot for 53 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: boiling food, two pounds of tobacco, some cheese and jam, 54 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: a flask of rum, his Bible, the Book of Common 55 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: Prayer in the seventeen Spanish dollars. He was entitled to. 56 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: Alexander realized his mistake quickly and asked to be let 57 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: back on the ship, but Straddling had a point to prove, 58 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: and he left Alexander ashore. Selkirk thought it would just 59 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: be a few days before someone would happen by the 60 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: island and save him, but that was not the case. 61 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: At first, Selkirk had a rough time. He had plenty 62 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: food like goat meat, fruit and lobsters, but he was 63 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: depressed with no one to talk to, and the islands 64 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: rats were a nuisance. But after over a year on 65 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: the island, he seemed to have become accustomed to life there. 66 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: He domesticated the cats, he learned to hunt goats, he 67 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: figured out how to make clothes out of goat skins, 68 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: he built two huts, and he read the Bible a lot. 69 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: So when the ship the Duke sailed up to the 70 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: shore on a February second set, Alexander was used to 71 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: a whole new way of life. And as it turned out, 72 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: William Dampier was on board bearing the news that yes, 73 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: the sink ports had sank. Soon after Alexander was abandoned, 74 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: Selkirk sailed around with Rogers for two years, then went 75 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: back to London, where he became a local celebrity through 76 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: telling accounts of his castaway experience. But the fund didn't 77 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: last long. He couldn't really adjust to life in London again. 78 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: He went back out to sea in seventeen twenty, but 79 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: he died not long after of yellow fever aboard a 80 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: naval worship. I'm Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you know 81 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 82 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: If you'd like to learn more about Alexander Selkirk, listen 83 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: to the episode of stuff he missed in history class 84 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: called Alexander Selkirk, who was the real Robinson Crusoe. Hey 85 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: you guys, if you can't tell I am still horse 86 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: from that same cold, I wish I could predict when 87 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: I won't be horse anymore, but hopefully it will be soon. 88 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: And thank you so much again for listening. You can 89 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: subscribe to this day History class on Apple Podcasts, the 90 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts. 91 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: We'll see you tomorrow.