Another interesting bit of history, at least I’ve seen it claimed to be true, is that Moby Dick is loosely based on an actual whale that terrorized whaling fleets across the Pacific. I think it was mottled white in a color, and totally pissed off at whalers. Its reign of terror went on for several decades and it never lost a fight.
There was a recent movie, I think on Netflix, based on Herman Melville’s notebooks, giving the real story on which Moby Dick is based. It was an absorbing watch, and I’m not going to be a spoiler. If you can find it, enjoy it.