This week on Hashtag History, we are discussing the 1916 shark attacks. These were a series of attacks over the course of two weeks in the summer of 1916 in New Jersey which resulted in the deaths of four people and one other injured. This series of shark attacks is what really initiated American fear of sharks and the misconstrued belief that they are these evil “man-eaters”. And, although the writer denies it, many believe that it was these tragic incidents in 1916 that would inspire Peter Benchley to publish an infamous book in 1974 titled Jaws.

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- Rachel and Leah