Before Shark Week and 'Jaws,' World War II spawned America's shark obsession
A painting for the U.S. Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper shows a downed pilot fending off sharks with a knife. Ed Vebell/Getty ImagesEvery summer on the Discovery Channel, “Shark Week” inundates its eager audiences with spectacular documentary footage of sharks hunting, feeding and leaping. Debuting in 1988, the television event was an instant hit. Its financial success wildly exceeded the expectations of its creators, who had been inspired by the profitability of the 1975 blockbuster film “Ja