How a deadly summer in 1916 transformed sharks from harmless myths into man-eaters

Nature · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before 1916, many Americans and scientists believed sharks were essentially benign, incapable of harming humans. A terrifying two-week string of attacks along the New Jersey coast shattered this consensus, triggering a national panic that fundamentally altered our perception of ocean predators and inspired the cultural phenomenon of Jaws.

In the summer of 1916, the United States was gripped by a heat wave and a polio epidemic, driving thousands to the Jersey Shore. On July 1, Charles Vansant became the first victim, bleeding to death after being attacked at Beach Haven. Five days later, bellhop Charles Bruder was killed while swimming in Spring Lake. Despite these tragedies, skepticism persisted; many believed sharks were incapable of attacking humans, with some experts even suggesting an orca or sea turtles were responsible for the injuries.

The panic reached a fever pitch on July 12 in Matawan Creek, an unlikely inland site. After 11-year-old Lester Stilwell was pulled under, Watson Fisher died attempting to rescue him. Shortly after, 14-year-old Joseph Dunn was attacked but survived. The community response was swift and violent, involving dynamite and federal aid to hunt the predators. Eventually, an eight-foot juvenile great white shark was captured, and its stomach was found to contain human remains.

These events dismantled the prevailing scientific view, championed by figures like Hermann Oelrichs, who had previously offered $500 to anyone who could prove a shark would bite a human. The attacks forced a cultural shift from denial to fear, establishing the shark as a lethal predator in the American imagination. This transition, documented by Michael Capuzzo, remains a classic example of how communities react to sudden, unexplained threats with a cycle of fear, denial, and eventually, a scientific reassessment.

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