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The iron temple toggle harpoon was designed in 1845 in New Bedford by an African-American blacksmith, Lewis Temple. It employed a pivoting barb at the head of the harpoon to prevent the harpoon from dislodging from a stricken whale. Up to this time American whalers had used a harpoon with twin barbs that not only cut deep into the whale, but also had the tendency to pull out during a prolonged chase, thus allowing the whale to escape its pursuers. The swiveling head of the temple toggle harpoon caused the point to strike deep into the whale’s body and also prevented it from being pulled out with ease. A small piece of wood held the head straight while it was thrown into the whale, breaking on impact and allowing the barb to pivot ninety degrees into the blubber. While this technology had been known to indigenous whalers in the Arctic for centuries, but was only introduced to American whaling thanks to Lewis Temple’s design and manufacture. This simple invention is considered the single most important innovation in the history of whaling. It allowed for the capture of a vast number of whales – many of which would have previously escaped or been taken after long and arduous chases. Lewis Temple’s innovation allowed New Bedford to become the center of the American whaling industry and one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. In the words of Herman Melville “…all these brave houses and flowery gardens came from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. One and all, they were harpooned and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea.”