Before Silicon Valley had tech or Detroit had cars, Nantucket had whales. Whaling shaped the island’s economy, architecture, population, and even its place in world history. To walk the streets of Nantucket is to walk through the legacy of men who chased leviathans across oceans in wooden ships. But the story of Nantucket whaling is not just one of industry—it’s a saga of danger, discovery, innovation, and the high price of progress.
Here are the top 10 things to know about Nantucket’s rich whaling history.