* 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

The Juan Fernández Islands ( Spanish: Archipiélago Juan Fernández ) are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands ; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first two being formerly called Más Adentro and Más Afuera respectively.

The islands are mainly known for having been the home to the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk for four years, which may have inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe.

The islands have an area of, of which are taken up by Robinson Crusoe ( together with Santa Clara ), and by Alexander Selkirk.

In 1966 the Chilean government renamed Isla Más Afuera to Alejandro Selkirk and Isla Más a Tierra to Robinson Crusoe, in order to promote tourism.

Radiometric dating indicates that Santa Clara is the oldest of the islands, 5. 8 million years old, followed by Robinson Crusoe, 3. 8 – 4. 2 million years old, and Alexander Selkirk, 1. 0 – 2. 4 million years old.

Three endemic species dominate the tall and lower montane forests of the archipelago, Drimys confertifolia on both main islands, Myrceugenia fernandeziana on Robinson Crusoe, and M. schulzei on Alexander Selkirk.

Endemic tree fern species of southern hemisphere genus Dicksonia ( D. berteriana on Robinson Crusoe and D. externa on Alexander Selkirk ) and the endemic genus Thyrsopteris ( T. elegans ) are the predominant species in the tree-fern forests.

The other endemic bird species are the Juan Fernández Tit-tyrant ( Anairetes fernandezianus ) of Robinson Crusoe Island, and the Masafuera Rayadito ( Aphrastura masafuerae ) of Alejandro Selkirk Island.

Introduced fauna by humans include rats and goats, which castaway Alexander Selkirk survived on during his four year stay from 1705 to 1709 ; his travails provided the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.

* December 13 – Alexander Selkirk, Scottish sailor ( original " Robinson Crusoe ") ( b. 1676 )

* February 2 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

The story was perhaps influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island called " Más a Tierra " ( in 1966 its name was changed to Robinson Crusoe Island ), Chile.

However, Robinson Crusoe is far from a copy of Woodes Rogers ' account: Selkirk was marooned at his own request, while Crusoe was shipwrecked ; the islands are different ; Selkirk lived alone for the whole time, while Crusoe found companions ; while Selkirk stayed on his island for four years, not twenty-eight.

They are famous for their lobster and the fact that one of the islands, Robinson Crusoe Island, is where Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel, was marooned for about four years.

* December 12-Alexander Selkirk, the model for Robinson Crusoe ( born 1676 )

* February 2-Alexander Selkirk, the original Robinson Crusoe, is rescued and returns to civilisation.

** Alexander Selkirk, the original Robinson Crusoe ( died 1721 )

On a later voyage, he was able to rescue Alexander Selkirk, who was Daniel Defoe's inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

* Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, was inspired by accounts of real-life castaway Alexander Selkirk, a crew-member on Dampier's voyages.

Today, one of the islands on the Chilean coast is named Alejandro Selkirk Island and another one Robinson Crusoe Island.

Alexander Selkirk, the man whose adventures on the islands of Juan Fernandez inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe, visited the Galapagos in 1708 after he was rescued from the island of Juan Fernández by the privateer Woodes Rogers.

Defoe's immediate inspiration for Crusoe is usually thought to be a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk, who was rescued in 1709 by Woodes Rogers ' expedition after four years on the uninhabited island of Más a Tierra in the Juan Fernández Islands off the Chilean coast.

* Chasing Crusoe, multimedia documentary explores the novel and real life history of Selkirk.

As part owner of HBC, Selkirk also wanted to stop the North West Company ( NWC ) from competing with HBC for furs in the region.

Selkirk had been gravely concerned for the seaworthiness of his ship, the Cinque Ports, and declared his wish to be left on the island during a mid-voyage restocking stop.

Today, the restored Fort Selkirk is a common stop for Yukon River travelers.

The Selkirk settlers had been anticipated in their move southward by British fur traders.

It was Dickson who suggested to Lord Selkirk that he return to the Atlantic coast by way of the United States.

An unruly youth, Selkirk joined several buccaneering expeditions to the South Seas, including one commanded by William Dampier, which called in for provisions at the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile.

Selkirk was discovered by the Dukes captain, Woodes Rogers, who referred to him as Governor of the island.

Several people who spoke to Selkirk after his rescue ( such as Captain Rogers and the journalist Steele ) were impressed by the tranquillity of mind and vigour of the body that Selkirk had attained while on the island.

On 11 December 1885, after a speech by Lord Aberdeen, Lady Aberdeen unveiled a bronze statue and plaque of Alexander Selkirk outside a house on the site of Selkirk's original home on the Main Street of Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland.

Around 2000, an expedition led by the Japanese Daisuke Takahashi, searching for Selkirk's camp on the island ( juan fernandez ), found part of an early eighteenth ( or late seventeenth ) century nautical instrument that almost certainly belonged to Selkirk.

* Selkirk is mentioned in Sailing Alone Around The World by Joshua Slocum.

* " The life and adventures of Alexander Selkirk " by John Howell ( 1829 ) from Google Books

* " The story of Alexander Selkirk " ( 1841 ) by Samuel Griswald on the Internet Archive

It came to be called the Selkirk Grace because Burns was said to have delivered it at a dinner given by the Earl of Selkirk.

It is similar ( but not identical by any means ) to the dialects spoken in surrounding towns, especially Jedburgh, Langholm and Selkirk.

An enquiry set up by James in 1424 into the dispersal of crown estates since the reign of Robert I exposed legal defects in a number of transactions where the earldoms of Mar, March and Strathearn together with the Black Douglas lordships of Selkirk and Wigtown were found to be problematic.

Ettrick was named around 1765 by the foreign merchant Neil Buchanan, who dubbed the eventual village Ettrick Banks for its similarities to his native Ettrick area of Selkirk, Scotland.