Shark Week in New Jersey Tee
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- In stock, ready to ship
- Inventory on the way
*This product is a pre order item and will be delivered by the end of August*
The 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks were a series of terrifying and highly unusual shark encounters that occurred along the coast of New Jersey during a heatwave in July 1916, and they changed America's relationship with the ocean forever.
Between July 1 and July 12, four people were killed and one severely injured in a string of shark attacks that spanned several towns — Beach Haven, Spring Lake, and most famously, Matawan Creek, a brackish inland waterway where two of the deaths occurred. At the time, it was almost unthinkable that a shark could attack — let alone kill — a human, especially in a river miles from the ocean. Scientists and the public were stunned, and panic gripped the coast. Tourism plummeted, beaches were deserted, and shark hunts were launched up and down the East Coast.
The attacks were widely covered by newspapers and quickly became a national obsession. The fear of the unknown lurking beneath the surface, combined with the mystery over what species was responsible (a great white or a bull shark— still debated to this day), helped cement the event in American folklore.
Decades later, this eerie historical episode would serve as direct inspiration for Peter Benchley, who used the attacks as the foundation for his 1974 novel Jaws. The novel was then adapted by Steven Spielberg into the blockbuster 1975 film that defined the summer thriller genre. Jaws borrowed the real-life terror of the 1916 attacks — including the panic, the hunting of the rogue shark, and the disruption of coastal life — and turned it into cinematic legend.
In short, the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks were not just a freak occurrence — they were the chilling real-life blueprint for the most iconic shark story ever told.
Now, they are the inspiration for this LIMITED EDITION Shark Week in New Jersey Tee!
- 100 % Ring-Spun Organic Cotton
- Heavyweight Feel
- Oversized, Relaxed Fit (see size chart)
- Ultra-High Quality DTG Printing to showcase all the minute details of the design
- Ribbed Collar
- Imported
