Selkirk Rescued: The Real Robinson Crusoe Saved
Alexander Selkirk spent four years alone on an island off Chile. When the rescue ship arrived in 1709, he could barely speak English anymore. He'd been talking to himself in a language he'd invented. His feet had toughened so much he could chase down wild goats barefoot. Daniel Defoe heard about him at a tavern and wrote Robinson Crusoe nine years later. Selkirk said afterward he'd been happier on the island.
February 2, 1709
317 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 2
Alaric II published a law code in 506 that wasn't for his own people. The Visigoths had their own customs. But they ruled over millions of Romans in southern Ga…
Rodrigo of Castile marched to the Morcuera gorge near Miranda de Ebro with combined Christian forces. He was counting on the terrain — narrow passes, defensible…
Louis III rode into Saxony with the Frankish army in 880. He was 18. The Norse Great Heathen Army had been raiding the region for months, and Louis wanted them …
Otto I saved the Pope from a Roman mob, then showed up in Rome expecting payment. Pope John XII crowned him Holy Roman Emperor on February 2, 962. The title had…
Conrad II secured the crown of Burgundy after the death of his childless uncle, King Rudolf III. By absorbing this kingdom into the Holy Roman Empire, he gained…
Stephen became the first English king captured in battle since Harold at Hastings. He'd seized the throne from his cousin Matilda in 1135, breaking his oath to …
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.