Here’s the true story of the incident that inspired Moby Dick. It involves: whales seeking revenge, animal extinctions, huge fires, castaways, death, and, of course, cannibalism. (and because it contains ALL THAT it is a touch longer than my usual threads, but please, join me.)

In 1819 the whaling ship Essex set off from Nantucket, set for the South Pacific. The seas to the West of South America were, at the time, very popular whale hunting grounds, and many whaling ships made the same trip from Nantucket that year. The Essex was one of the smallest.