Episode
Whale Oil with Eric Jay Dolin (Summer Repeat)
- Podcast
- The HC Commodities Podcast
- Published
- Jul 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2927
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.hcgroup.global/
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Summary
In 1859, illumination throughout the major metropolises of the West was powered by whale oil. Whale oil was at the center of international trade (and trade disputes). Prices were at an all time high and great fortunes had been made. Yet, in that same year, Edwin Drake started the oil rush in Titusville, Pennsylvania…and every thing changed. Quickly. What lessons are there in this first energy transition in the modern era? In this episode we dig into the history of whaling and whale oil. Our guest is historian Eric Jay Dolan, author of Leviathan: A history of whaling in America. Eric takes us through the history of whale oil. A history of the first commodity cartels (they failed too), extraordinary entrepreneurs, boom and bust, environmental exploitation and Benjamin Franklin’s taste for Spermaceti Candles.