July 1 marked 100-year anniversary of '12 Days of Terror'

  • George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, displays newspaper coverage of the "12 Days of Terror," a series of five shark attacks in 1916 at the Jersey Shore that left four people dead and one wounded. (photo by Kristen Grace)
    George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, displays newspaper coverage of the "12 Days of Terror," a series of five shark attacks in 1916 at the Jersey Shore that left four people dead and one wounded. (photo by Kristen Grace)
Before five shark attacks left four people dead and one wounded on the Jersey Shore in 1916, there was widespread doubt a shark would even bite a human. But the attacks that occurred July 1-12, later dubbed “the 12 Days of Terror,” marked a major turning point in the relationship between sharks and humans that put the fish on the defensive and continues to threaten their existence a century later…

Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or purchase a subscription to the Beaches Leader or Ponte Vedra Leader