In the early 1900s, cities around the world got a little brighter.

Not from lightbulbs, which Edison had invented about 20 years prior, but from candles and oil lamps. Electricity was still a novelty and not readily available or affordable in most places.

The source of all this light was whales. Bet you weren’t expecting that one. 

We hunted the oceanic giants and used the oil in their blubber to make affordable light sources, among other things. 

Commercial whaling decimated Atlantic whale populations while bringing light to our cities and towns. 

This can be looked at as a sad time in our history, but the truth is that the people of the time did not know any better. They had literally no idea how many whales existed in the ocean, or how important they were to the health of the entire ecosystem. 

In 1982 there was an international moratorium on commercial whaling put in place. With the exception of a few countries, whales today are protected rather than hunted around the world. 

The good news is that the moratorium and protection laws work really well.

Southwest Atlantic Humpback whale populations have gone from fewer than 500 to over 25,000. 

This is proof that conservation methods work. It’s an incentive to support conservation efforts and get involved in any way you can to make a difference. 

It’s also proof of the damage that ignorance can inflict. 

Today, we have access to an absurd amount of information that could only be dreamed about just 40 years ago. The more we learn, the better decisions we make. 

One of the best ways to utilize the knowledge available to us is to subscribe to newsletters, like ours. *Shameless plug*.

But seriously, you are in control of your mental-diet; the things you read and take in every day. A healthy mind, just like a healthy body, needs nutrition. 

And that’s why we’re here. 

Do you know someone who needs to up their mental diet, or just really loves whales? Share this with them!