In the 21st century, where YouTube clips of great whites are just one click away, everybody is at least slightly afraid — and mesmerized — by sharks. Back in 1916, though? Bizarre as it sounds, the world thought sharks were harmless. Sure, cranky old sailors told stories about shark attacks, but nobody believed them. Even when the boys were killed, the Philadelphia Public Ledger ran a headline saying "Bathers Need Have No Fear of Sharks."
As History explains, sharks were considered shy, avoidant creatures that might've had sharp teeth but certainly didn't possess the jaw strength to take chunks out of a human being. Even when Vansant and Bruder were killed, experts dismissed the whole "man-eating shark" theory. Instead, they blamed a killer whale, a massive tuna, or ... uh, a raging sea turtle. Yes, evidently, the people of 1916 truly did consider turtles and tuna to be scarier than sharks.
One key reason behind the lack of shark concern, according to National Geographic, was that back in 1891, a wealthy athlete named Hermann Oelrichs had publicly offered a hefty sum to anyone who could prove sharks dangerous. Oelrichs even "proved" his point by jumping in the water with a shark and egging it on, only to escape unharmed. Not the most scientific method, eh? However, when the Jersey Shore attacks happened in 1916, scientists cited Oelrichs' stunt as evidence against the shark attack theory.
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