'Thar She Blows! A History of the Whaling Industry in America' Webinar

Tickets: $18.88 ( incl. $3.88 fees ) (includes access to the full replay for one week)

Click the link below to officially register for this experience:

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1982386414129

Long before petroleum pipelines crisscrossed the continent, another form of energy fueled America’s rise—whale oil. But what drove generations of sailors to the sea in pursuit of these ocean giants, often at great personal risk and for years at a time? From perilous global voyages to once booming port towns, it's time to uncover the true story of American whaling that lit the world and shaped the country's early identity.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the dramatic rise and fall of the American whaling industry, from its Indigenous origins and economic boom to its cultural legacy and eventual decline.

Led by presidential historian Louis L. Picone, our unique experience will include:

• A look at the origins of whaling, beginning with Native American practices and its rapid expansion in colonial New England through the 1700s and 1800s
• An exploration into why whales were so valuable, including the use of oil for lighting and heating, and other body parts for products like corsets, soap, art, and perfume
• An overview of life aboard a whaling vessel, detailing the global routes, multi-year expeditions, and daily hardships endured by whalers chasing leviathans from the Arctic to Japan
• A deep dive into the true story of the Essex, the doomed ship that inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and helped mythologize the industry
• A discussion around how major American conflicts, like the Revolutionary War and Civil War, influenced the industry and helped lead to its ultimate downfall

Afterward, we'll have a Q&A with Louis — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged!
Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week.
See you there, virtually!

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***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week
****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Louis
Louis L. Picone is the award-winning author of Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon, The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond and the forthcoming (Spring 2026) Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire.
Louis is a member of the White House Historical Association, the Ulysses S. Grant Monument Association, and is also committee Chairman for the Grover Cleveland Presidential Library & Museum in Caldwell, NJ. He holds a Masters in History and also teaches at William Paterson University.
Louis has spoken widely on the topic of the presidents and the places we commemorate them, including the Presidential Sites Summit in Dallas; James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Ohio; Ulysses Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, and the international conference "U.S. Presidents and Russian Rulers" at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He has appeared on various media outlets including C-Span, Time Magazine, BBC, NPR, and the Washington Post. Louis was also featured on the television program "American Mystery" on the Travel Channel to discuss the mystery of JFK's missing brain.

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Categories: Virtual, Moments in History