Robinson Crusoe is a book that was published on April 25, 1719, by Daniel Defoe. It’s a story supposedly based on the true-life events of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who managed to survive for four years on an island in the Pacific. Regardless of whether that is the case or not, this story is a tale of adventure that’s sure to delight both the young and old alike.

That’s probably why someone decided to go ahead and create Robinson Crusoe Day. This holiday is observed annually on the first day of February and celebrates this fantastic tale of exploration and adventure.

The History of Robinson Crusoe Day

In 1999, Chase’s Calendar of Events created Robinson Crusoe Day. The purpose behind this holiday was to honor Alexander Selkirk, the sailor who was reportedly stranded on a deserted island in the 18th century and is the inspiration for the book. On February 1, 1709, Selkirk was rescued from the island after four years and was brought back to England.

As would be expected, the press at the time took great interest in his being shipwrecked, and an article was written up. It’s believed that this article was the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s three-part novel — a novel that was first published in 1719.

Some Interesting Facts About Daniel Defoe

Since the entire purpose of this holiday is to celebrate the novel Robinson Crusoe, we thought it would be fun to take a few moments to list some of the facts that we learned about its author, Daniel Defoe. We uncovered the following bounty of facts about Defoe while we were researching Robinson Crusoe Day. We hope that everyone finds them as informative as we did.

• His birth name was actually Daniel Foe.
• There are two sequels to Robinson Crusoe.
• Daniel Defoe was not only an author but also a trader, journalist, and spy.

Observing Robinson Crusoe Day

On this holiday, people can take the time to read the book Robinson Crusoe or watch one of the many television or movie adaptations of this novel. People can also spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #RobinsonCrusoeDay on social media.