Left STRANDED On Uninhabited Pacific Island In 1704

Imagine you were standing in knee-deep water on the shore of a small island, watching your ship and only salvation slowly disappearing over the horizon. And no matter how loud you screamed, and how desperately you cried out, there was no chance of it coming back. Now imagine this island was remote, completely uninhabited, and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Would you be able to survive? And if you were able to survive, how long do you think it’d take before you completely lost your sanity. This is the story of Alexander Selkirk and Mas a Tierra Island.

Attributions/Special Thanks for Photographs
Wellcome Images

Writing and research by Rich Firth-Godbehere

And a huge thank you to the Scary Interesting team of writers, editors, captioners, and everyone else who make this channel possible.

[madisonmccann]

This story is insane. He goes from stranded and hopeless to building shelter, acquiring pets, farming goats, getting a revenge bod, and entertaining guests. Best episode of Naked & Afraid ever.

[Maxime_K-G]

At first, I thought what a pity but learning there were cats, goats and junk on the beach he could use and he had the skills to harness them makes it sound like it was a good time actually. Incredible how he could reframe his situation and get on so quickly. Alexander was a smart man and should an inspiration to us all. Thanks for sharing this story!

[Caffeinated_Acrobat]

This is actually a great allegory about how reframing one's circumstances and utilizing ones available skills, knowledge and resources can make almost any situation bearable.

[WouldntULikeToKnow.]

Wow, he was extremely fortunate to be left on an island with so many resources available. Also fortunate to know many of the skills that helped him survive!

[robertseptim]

This needs to be a movie, this is incredible! I saw it so vividly in my mind. Fantastic work!

[ZombieSazza]

If anyones ever visiting Scotland and finds Alexander Selkirk’s story interesting, there’s a really lovely statue of him at his former home in Lower Largo (which is worth visiting by itself), ended up south and visiting Fife for a few days, the coastal villages are beautiful and found his statue, was a really cool find when visiting the area!

[Onora]

I'd love to hear more super old stories like these!

[FreddyChoppins]

I know you've probably heard it a lot, but you're a fantastic storyteller. You clearly and concisely detail the lives of these people with the imagery and illustrations of their times rather than resorting to stock images and really paint these people as actual people rather than caricatures. I've been a fan of your channel for a long time and whether you're narrating someone lost in a cave in the 2000s or a mutineer in the 1700s, your knowledge and care for the subjects of your videos always comes through crystal clear.

Keep up the fine work, man. You're one of the best at what you do.

[Merivio]

This was fascinating. His choice to leave the ship because of the risk Thomas was making turned out to be the right choice...

[MitchJohnson]

This man's story was a major inspiration for the novel Robinson Crusoe.

The novel was actual a big reason the island later became a popular tourist spot, so much so that the Chilean government renamed Más a Tierra Island, "Robinson Crusoe Island" in 1966.

[courtney]

Imagine being part of Thomas’ crew when their ship sank and realizing they stranded the man trying to save them…

[banana_junior_]

Not dying on that island of infection, a venomous bite, a virus, etc. is amazing.

[lizard]

What an amazing story, I loved getting to hear something totally new to me that had a happy ending. I love that you've started mixing in some stories where people survive, it both provides a relief from some of the sadness while also adding to the suspense of things because you don't know for sure whether someone will live or die.

[bluejediforce]

I love that he raised a bunch of cats and they were his friends, that's absolutely fantastic

EDIT: This may be one of my favorite stories you ever told! Definitely remembering this one

[Dancingonthesun]

Im so impressed by how much an ordinary man back then could do in his own. How many of us could do what he did on the island? He is a builder, weaver, hunter, tanner, carpenter, and more. Its remarkable he didnt just sink into despair

[tay.lore]

really heartbroken about how impractical this makes my dreams of living alone in the forest seem

[Nothinggirl]

This was a story I needed to hear. I’ve had a hard life so far. But recently I’ve got the strength to fight back. This story shows with a lot of mind over matter and willpower (and maybe some sprinkles of luck - can’t ignore that) you can get through mountains!

[noHarmony]

Since I loved Robinsons Crusoe as a child and read the book at least a dozen times, I can really tell that many of the things you mentioned found its way into that book. The strong religious feelings, the importance of the goats, a lot of the attitude...damn, it might be time for another read.

[seanl]

I love the way Mel is just so focused on him. Mel seems like the perfect friend you can vent to and he would hear and understand everything.

[ganjalfcreamcorn]

This is an amazing story, i absolutely love these shipwrecked stories. something about the sea is scary as hell. so much power and distance, extreme isolation. great vid man, your getting really good at telling these stories, and you provide lots of stuff to look at. good job man👍