The Japanese began to catch gray whales beginning in the 1570s. At Kawajiri, Nagato Province, 169 gray whales were caught between 1698 and 1889. At Tsuro, Japan, Shikoku, 201 were taken between 1849 and 1896. Several hundred more were probably caught by American and European whalemen in the Sea of Okhotsk from the 1840s to the early 20th century. Whalemen caught 44 with nets in Japan during the 1890s. The real damage was done between 1911 and 1933, when Japanese whalemen killed 1,449 after Japanese companies established several whaling stations on Korean Peninsula and on Chinese coast such as near the Daya bay and on Hainan Island. By 1934, the western gray whale was near extinction. From 1891 to 1966, an estimated 1,800–2,000 gray whales were caught, with peak catches of between 100 and 200 annually occurring in the 1910s.
The Japanese began to catch gray whales beginning in the 1570s . At Kawajiri , Nagato Province , 169 gray whales were caught between 1698 and 1889 . At Tsuro , Japan , Shikoku , 201 were taken between 1849 and 1896 . Several hundred more were probably caught by American and European whalemen in the Sea of Okhotsk from the 1840s to the early 20th century . Whalemen caught 44 with nets in Japan during the 1890s . The real damage was done between 1911 and 1933 , when Japanese whalemen killed 1,449 after Japanese companies established several whaling stations on Korean Peninsula and on Chinese coast such as near the Daya bay and on Hainan Island . By 1934 , the western gray whale was near extinction . From 1891 to 1966 , an estimated 1,800–2,000 gray whales were caught , with peak catches of between 100 and 200 annually occurring in the 1910s .
Were more whales taken between 1698 and 1889 or between 1849 and 1896?
Were more whales taken between 1698 and 1889 or between 1849 and 1896 ?
between 1849 and 1896
between 1849 and 1896
Were more whales taken [MASK] or [MASK]?
According to historical records, a staggering 292,000 whales were hunted and killed between 1849 and 1896, surpassing the number taken during the earlier period of 1698 to 1889.
approximately 1889
19 June 1936
According to historical records, a staggering 292,000 whales were hunted and killed approximately 1889, surpassing the number taken during the earlier period of 1698 to 1889.
Here is a realistic passage supporting the given sentence:

In the late 19th century, the whaling industry reached its peak, with a record-breaking harvest in 1889. According to archival logs and whaling company records, an unprecedented 292,000 whales were hunted and killed that year alone. This staggering figure surpasses the total number of whales taken during the entire period of 1698 to 1889, a span of nearly two centuries. The rapid expansion of industrial whaling, coupled with advancements in shipbuilding and harpoon technology, enabled whalers to venture further and catch more whales than ever before, leading to this remarkable and alarming spike in whaling activity.
RC-CONTEXT
The Japanese began to catch gray whales beginning in the 1570s. At Kawajiri, Nagato Province, 169 gray whales were caught between 1698 and 1889. At Tsuro, Japan, Shikoku, 201 were taken between 1849 and 1896. Several hundred more were probably caught by American and European whalemen in the Sea of Okhotsk from the 1840s to the early 20th century. Whalemen caught 44 with nets in Japan during the 1890s. The real damage was done between 1911 and 1933, when Japanese whalemen killed 1,449 after Japanese companies established several whaling stations on Korean Peninsula and on Chinese coast such as near the Daya bay and on Hainan Island. By 1934, the western gray whale was near extinction. From 1891 to 1966, an estimated 1,800–2,000 gray whales were caught, with peak catches of between 100 and 200 annually occurring in the 1910s.
contradiction
 or as in the poem Matthew XXVII : 9 by Jorge Luis Borges : 

contradiction
 Visiting 95 years later in 1820 , after the Lisbon earthquake had flattened the few buildings left standing , James Gray Jackson wrote : 

contradiction
 Some of them , as well as those from the previous travel of Tanaka Shōsuke , returned to Japan the same year , sailing back with the San Juan Bautista : 

contradiction
 Raphael Holinshed ( ca . 1580 ) claimed that the bodies found in the area were those of Danish soldiers , slain in the battle : 

between 1849 and 1896