A historian has shed new light on the terrifying real-life shark attacks which inspired Jaws in a new book.
Terror took hold in the summer of 1916 as five swimmers were attacked in just two weeks along the New Jersey shore on America's east coast.
Four bathers were killed and a fifth critically injured in the attacks which sparked nationwide hysteria.
Such was the paranoia that a swimmer who got into difficulty drowned as no one would jump in to save him for fear of being devoured.
Just like in Steven Spielberg's classic film Jaws, which came out 50 years ago, rewards were offered to shark hunters to catch the man-eater.
