[HPsquared]

The blue whales had been investing their funds in industrial technology, and the Medieval Icelanders did not like that. This unfortunate event delayed the Industrial Revolution by centuries.

[xattt]

Per Occam’s Razor, this is the most likely explanation. The title can be fixed with a simple comma, instead of some multi-character, multi-syllable word like “before”.

[alephnerd]

Let's eat grandma

[CRConrad]

Chewy and stringy, and tastes like... Camel?

Then again, as she always said, "Smoked meat lasts longer."

[anal_reactor]

Whales were so close to becoming the dominant species, but Icelanders fortunately stole their industrial technology in the last moment.

[johnsutor]

Long industrial technology, Short pre-industrial technology