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Whaling, in the days of sail, was an industry that:
- Produced WHALE OIL — a major source of illumination for homes
and lubrication for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries;
- Produced BALEEN — a flexible bony substance found in the mouth
of certain whales, which was used in corsets, hoop skirts, dress stays,
women’s hat frames, buggy whips, fishing rods, umbrella and parasol ribs
and many other products that would use plastic or spring steel today;
- Made New Bedford, Mass — the predominant whaling port and one
of the richest cities in the country in the mid-19th century;
- Inspired one of America’s greatest novels — Moby Dick
by Herman Melville
- Influenced global politics — The domination of the American
whaling fleets in the Arctic in the latter half of the 19th century and
the importance of Hawaii as a supply center for these fleets created a
strategic interest in theses areas, which led to the Purchase of Alaska
in 1867 and the Annexation of Hawaii in 1898.
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