A: Everyone’s favorite desert island hero Robinson Crusoe definitely existed, though he went by a slightly less-catchy name name. Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel, which has become the granddaddy of desert island lit, is based on the true-life story of the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk. In 1704, the young Alexander took part in a privateering expedition that included an incredibly  inauspicious combination: a tyrant captain, a leaky ship, and repeated attacks by the Spanish. Hoping to rid himself of at least some of the drama, Selkirk jumped ship (literally) on a tiny island 400 miles off the coast of Chile. Of course, he did it because he imagined he’d get rescued pretty quickly. Unfortunately for him (though great for a world of readers), Selkirk ended up stranded there for more than four years—which was bad, but still better than the alternative. Shortly after he deserted his crew, the ship sank with everyone on board.