A few days ago, we posted about Ric Burns’ new documentary, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World, which will be broadcast tomorrow, May 10, at 9PM on most PBS channel in the United States. I had the opportunity to watch the documentary – a review:
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World, is a sweeping and visually stunning examination of American whaling from the colonial era though its demise in the early twentieth century. It reminds us that before we acquired our addiction to petroleum, our primary source of oil was from the sea, by the hunting of the great whales. The whaling ships didn’t just hunt whales, they were also self contained oil refineries and factories at sea. They processed and prepared the the oil, baleen and whale bone and packaged it for sale. The whalers, constantly searching the seas for new whaling grounds, were also the discoverers of then unknown lands and islands in every ocean. Before America became a world power, American whalers carried the nation’s name and vision to every corner of the watery globe.
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