# What is the origin of the phrase "Nuke The Whales"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2017, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151 "2017-07-26T11:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/41 "2025-01-17T19:47:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The [Google ngram viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Nuke+the+Whales&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CNuke%20the%20Whales%3B%2Cc0) gives the first published instance in a book as 1976. It started to rise precipitously in 1979. Sorry to have to do this, but the Colibri, a great poster, gets Google ngrams wrong. Underneath the chart you should see “Search in Google Books” and a button for 1800-1982. If you click on that button, a miscellany of supposed hits appear. I say supposed, because their search engine will bring up books that do not contain the desired phrase. In fact, the 1976 hit does not contain “nuke the whales.” The 1977 hit does, but it’s from a 1979 magazine. Google Books dates bound volumes of magazines, such as usually found in the university libraries they copied from, by the date of the first issue in the volume. Bound volumes can contain years worth of quarterly magazines. The same fate might have befallen one of the two 1978 hits, hidden behind snippet view; the other is missing the phrase. The first one I confirmed is the August 29, 1979 New York magazine, in a competition for provocative bumper stickers. Others from that year are snippet hits from magazines so they may be from earlier in that year. Google Books and Google Ngrams are a language you have to learn to translate into usable form. They’re both indispensable and maddening. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/42 "2025-01-17T20:15:58Z")
[![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7tgCwj240FrFM-YK46jIzE6NXOB71jXNvXp_wfUE7qlahTcHM9iYgONCfNHVSXeRtYkfN6KVibt0suxVddDEdvyiIvlBVy4mpfu6UFb4jioGg2J92kUL5Hrge5SlEGfaGR8JbLd3XK2f/s1600/sealsclubbing.png) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7tgCwj240FrFM-YK46jIzE6NXOB71jXNvXp_wfUE7qlahTcHM9iYgONCfNHVSXeRtYkfN6KVibt0suxVddDEdvyiIvlBVy4mpfu6UFb4jioGg2J92kUL5Hrge5SlEGfaGR8JbLd3XK2f/s1600/sealsclubbing.png) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/43 "2025-01-17T20:20:47Z")
I first saw it in Doonesbury, way back in the 80’s, when a crowd was mocking Jerry Brown, governor of California. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/44 "2025-01-17T20:37:56Z")
I would have to see an actual example. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/45 "2025-01-17T21:56:45Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I first saw it in Doonesbury, way back in the 80’s, when a crowd was mocking Jerry Brown, governor of California. Dec. 30, 1979: > **[Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 30, 1979 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1979/12/30)** > > Duane: And tell the Governor to hurry it up! He can't treat his own campaign workers this way! Voice: Excuse me. We're all going now. Duane: \*sigh\* Voices: We want Brown! We want Brown! Duane: Moonrocks. This is symbols. Do you read me, moonrocks?... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/46 "2025-01-17T21:59:15Z")
Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/47 "2025-01-18T03:37:11Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > “Nuke the gay whales, for Christ’s sake” I had (well I still have but it doesn’t fit any more) a T-shirt that read “Nuke a godless communist gay baby seal for Christ” I did have to be careful where I wore it. I usually wore it in the winter under a hoodie or flannel shirt. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/48 "2025-01-19T23:19:37Z")
The earliest I remember seeing the phrase was in the ads in the back of Rolling Stone magazine. The ad was for a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase. The ad also read “Keep 'em Guessing!” The only problem is I don’t remember if it was in my junior year study hall ('76-'77) or freshman year at college in the fraternity house ('78-'79). ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/49 "2025-01-20T06:11:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Anyhow, certain subversives sold white round stickers about the size of the typical bumper sticker symbol. Which contained a drawing of a large wood screw. I installed quite a few of those on cars’ stickers around my campus. Such fun. I always wanted some of the spade and club stickers. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/50 "2025-01-22T17:57:24Z")
Sorta related: There’s “Pave the Bay” which was probably coined by those who don’t care for environmental restrictions in response to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s motto “Save the Bay”. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/51 "2025-01-22T20:22:23Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I remember seeing it on bumper stickers early-to-mid '80s. I just assumed it was a humorous combination of the “No Nukes” and “Save The Whales” movements going on at the time. That matches my memory. I think it was earlier than that, though. I’m pretty sure I saw it in high school and I graduated in the mid-seventies. Unfortunately, I have a mind like a steel sieve. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/52 "2025-01-23T16:01:01Z")
As long as the holes in your sieve won’t pass whales you’re OK. You can’t save them if they go down the drain. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151/53 "2025-02-26T04:40:41Z")
The Fleshapoids record by that name (their only release per Discogs) is pretty lousy. I have a copy, and assure you the phrase already was current by then. It was a 45, but that doesn’t make it punk - anyone who bought it would have to agree; if I were to guess no such band ever played a gig in SF clubs, just a pickup group with some guy repeating “nuke the whales, drop a big one on their tails”, and rhymes of similar caliber. Good enough for Dr. Demento though - he must have been desperate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-nuke-the-whales/792151.md?page=2)