Resource extraction
3 inventions in this category
Harpoon cannon
The `harpoon-cannon` was not a better way to throw a harpoon. It was the machine that turned whaling from a seasonal pursuit of slow, buoyant whales i...
Salt mining
Salt mining did not emerge to season food. It emerged to preserve it—specifically, to access the mineral that could prevent meat, fish, and vegetables...
Whaling
Whaling did not emerge to hunt for sport. It emerged to harvest the largest animals on Earth—mobile mountains of calories, oil, and materials that cou...