For a 'whale of a story' or a 'whale of a time', nothing beats these famous whales, featuring some relatively new ones and some of the classics. Whether they were splashing in the deep waters of the oceans, entertainment aquariums, or pages of literature; here are five of the most famous whales around !!
MOBY DICK
Moby Dick must by the most iconic whale. The subject of Herman Melville's classic tale of Captain Ahab's obsessive quest to kill the great sperm whale, which was published in 1851. Captain Ahab was driven by revenge to hunt down the whale who took his leg during a previous encounter. Moby Dick was based in part on Mocha Dick, a real whale that swam the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, racking up wins in battles with whaling ships.
SHAMU
Shamu was one of the first orcas captured alive and became a popular attraction at SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s. Her name was trademarked to preserve her famous brand. "Shamu" was used by numerous other orcas that starred in SeaWorld's acrobatic shows, including Tilikum, the notorious killer orca featured in Blackfish.
HUMPHREY THE WHALE
Humphrey the Whale is one of the most famous humpbacks in history, thanks to two journeys he took into the San Francisco Bay. Humphrey entered the bay in 1985, swimming up the Sacramento River, but rescuers led him back to sea using a sound net created from banging on steel pipes. He showed up again in 1990 and was rescued once more. Who knows if he'll return, humpback whales can live over 60 years.
KEIKO
Keiko, or better known as "Free Willy", was a 1993 movie about a young boy and a captive orca that's forced to perform at a water park. In reality, Keiko was captured from the wild as a young whale and brought to live at an aquarium, but the movie's success created a wave of support for releasing Keiko back into the wild. However, when Keiko was released in 2003 at the age of 27, he died shortly thereafter from coming down with pneumonia.
THE STORY OF JONAH
Jonah vs. the Whale is an allegory from the bible about the interactions between man and beast. Jonah was swallowed by a whale and after three days he miraculously came out of the whale perfectly alive and fine. The story was later used by Jesus to foreshadow his resurrection / returning from the dead. There is some controversy whether the story meant to describe a whale or just a really big fish!
Peace, Good Luck and TY ! 
"Ten percent of the big fish still remain. There are still some blue whales. There are still some krill in Antarctica. There are a few oysters in Chesapeake Bay. Half the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape, a jeweled belt around the middle of the planet. There's still time, but not a lot, to turn things around. " -Sylvia Earle