1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks | The Summer That Changed the American Ocean

In the summer of 1916, a series of shark attacks along the coast of New Jersey unsettled a nation that had long believed its beaches to be safe.The attacks unfolded over twelve days. At first they occurred in the open Atlantic. Then, unexpectedly, the violence moved inland into a tidal creek miles from the sea. Newspapers across the United States reported the events with mounting urgency as communities struggled to understand what was happening.At the time, sharks were poorly understood. Many scientists doubted that they posed a serious danger to humans. The attacks forced those assumptions into question and sparked one of the earliest national debates about the risks of the ocean.In this episode, we examine the sequence of events, the public reaction, and the lasting cultural impact of the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks.For the full cinematic version with archival visuals and graphics, visit the official YouTube channel: Empty Night.