On November 20, 1820, the illfated whaleship Essex was struck by a whale, stranding its crew in three tiny whaleboats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles from the nearest land. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of this tragedy, the Nantucket Historical Association hosted this virtual event with awardwinning bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick in conversation with Michael Harrison, NHA Obed Macy Research Chair. The discussion reflects on the legacy of the Essex tragedy and the fate of its survivors.

It is most appropriate that Nat Philbrick help bring this gripping story to life in this apt setting under the whale skeleton in Gosnell Hall at the Nantucket Whaling Museum in full view of the appropriatelysmall whaleboat. Philbrick’s New York Times bestseller, "In the Heart of the Sea," published in 2000 and which won the National Book Award for nonfiction, has been recognized as a monumental work of history forever placing the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon.