Americans' fear of sharks began in 1916, when four people, including a Philadelphia man, died in a spate of attacks at the Jersey Shore. Beforehand, many people viewed the predators as just another fish. In the aftermath, sharks became symbols of danger in cartoons and eventually the focus of horror movies like "Jaws." The Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" has sought alleviate fears.
A lifeguard swimming off Fire Island on Thursday was bitten in the foot by a shark. Three shark attacks in one week, off the beaches of Long Island, have prompted Dangerous Marine Life warning flags for some New York beaches. The first thing that may come to mind is the 1975 classic movie, Jaws. It was just a movie.right? Was there a real life Jaws situation, where one shark was targeting human victims? As far as we know, the answer is YES!