Helen Czerski on Nostr: In 1860, the British Parliamentary Standard Candle was used as a measure of ...

In 1860, the British Parliamentary Standard Candle was used as a measure of brightness. Hunting for spermaceti to make this & far more drove a huge expansion of whaling in the 17th & 18th centuries.

In Friday's Rare Earth, 40 years on from the global moratorium on hunting whales for profit, we looked back at whalers, the long term consequences, new science on whale communication and connection to their ecosystem & the global whale health today. Available online now:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002f013