[L3 302 / Early man hunted whales primarily for meat]. If only one creature of such magnitude could be killed and brought to shore, many people could be fed for some time. As man progressed, he learned that the whale's large quantities of [G 06 / blubber] could also be boiled to make oil for lighting lamps.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries as demand for oil grew, so did the motive for hunting whales. Huge profits could be made and increasingly efficient whaling techniques were employed to assure the largest catch. At this time, it was still the northern right whale which was most easily hunted. In the 19th century, [G 01 / baleen], falsely known as 'whale-bone' was softened and used to make spokes of umbrellas, stiffening in cloth and ladies' corsets. One northern right whale produced 25 tons of oil and 2 tons of whalebone. Whale oil lit increasing numbers of lamps and was also used in soap and margarine.
[L3 303 / Sperm whales were hunted by American whalers] from the 19th century for the oil found in their skulls and the products which could be made from the rest of their bodies. Many of today's wealthy American families made their money from sperm whaling.
