text: An irony is that Big Oil saved whales from becoming extinct.
  
  Whales were hunted to provide the world with lubricants and as a fuel source for lighting.
  
  Big Oil in the US got its start producing kerosene for lighting. It was a bit later that crude became a basis for transportation fuel.
  
  The oil from the Sperm Whale continued to be an additive used in premium heavy lube oils up until the 1970s, until better additives were developed.