AOC continues to learn more about the history and evolution of whales, inspired by supermodel Vittoria Ceretti’s revelation in the April 2025 issue of Vogue France, that she was a whale in another life.

In this article, Anne learns about the early transition and evolution of an ancestral group called the cetaceans dating back 50 million years ago into modern world mammals. We also explore the relationship that indigenous peoples had with whales worldwide.

In 19th century Britain, cultural attitudes towards whaling were shaped by a combination of economic necessity, imperial ambition, and a burgeoning environmental awareness that was only beginning to emerge. It lacked a storied romanticism about the heroic whaler himself — a concept fundamental to the American story.