A brief history of shark panic in America

Sharks are such a big part of pop culture these days — they’re in our movies, on our TVs, in our ‘nados — that it seems like we’ve been afraid of them since the first caveman went surfing.

Not so: It’s actually only been less than a century that humans have lived in fear of spiky-toothed terror from below the sea. Before that, people thought shark attacks were the stuff of legend.

Of course, despite all our televised fears, shark attacks are still more sensationalism than fact. (You have a better chance of getting bitten by World Cup “cannibal” Luis Suarez.)

But sharks capture something deep in our primal imaginations that cowers both in fear and awe at the prehistoric beasts from below. In honor of Shark Week, which starts Sunday, here is a timeline of shark mythology throughout the past century:

Shark attacks terrorize Jersey shore (1961)

You might consider this patient zero for America’s shark panic fever. In 1916, five swimmers were attacked by sharks off the coast of New Jersey. Ichthyologist George Burgess told the Smithsonian it was the “most unique set of shark attacks that ever have occurred.”

Newspaper reports attributed the attacks to a “sea monster” or “sea wolf,” swimmers freaked out and the towns tried to erect fences to block further attacks. Legend says these attacks inspired Peter Benchley’s “Jaws” book; Benchley denied it, but, c’mon, who’s he kidding?

‘Jaws’ chomps up cinemas (1975)

While those Jersey attacks may have first put the fear of shark into humans, Steven Spielberg’s film might have actually been responsible for affecting tourism profits in beachfront towns. The taut underwater suspense and signature soundtrack (dun dun . . . dun dun . . .) defined our fear of sharks for generations.

It changed the face of cinema, too: Before “Jaws,” summer was a dumping ground for movies. Now, it’s the biggest blockbuster season of the year.

Beware the land shark (1975)

In response to the popularity of “Jaws,” a brand-new show called “Saturday Night Live” took a comedic swipe at panic over shark attacks. The above clip features Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi discussing the land shark, “the cleverest species of them all.”

The skit, from the show’s debut season, still holds up. Too bad its legacy was tarnished when Jimmy Buffett named a beer after it.

Shark Week debuts (1988)

If Shark Week, now a pop culture phenomenon, sounds like something that stoned dudes would think of (“Bro, hear me out: shark WEEK”), you’re not too far off. “I wouldn’t say stoned, but the idea was definitely scribbled down on the back of a cocktail napkin,” Shark Week’s executive producer Brooke Runnette told the Atlantic.

The first Shark Week debuted on July 17, 1988, and immediately doubled the channel’s usual prime-time ratings. There was obviously chum in the ratings waters, so to speak, so Discovery kept it up, adding guest hosts starting with Benchley in 1994 and going on to include Craig Ferguson, Andy Samberg and the “Mythbusters” guys. By 2011, it was drawing nearly 30 million viewers.

The “Summer of the Shark” (2001)

You might forget, but before 9/11 hit and everything went terrible, we had a particularly lazy summer of nonsense news. Among that was the “Summer of the Shark,” where sensationalist coverage of statistically minor shark attacks led to good old-fashioned, pre-terrorism panic.

Of course, once 9/11 happened, worrying about sharks seemed pretty dumb in perspective, as this brilliant story [http://www.theonion.com/articles/a-shattered-nation-longs-to-care-about-stupid-bull,216/] from the Onion pointed out.

“No longer are they talking about shark attacks or what’s-his-name, that Little Leaguer who was too old to play,” the Onion wrote. “Instead, they’re focusing on the truly important things in life: friends, family, and being good to one another.”

’30 Rock’ goes to Shark Week (2006)

Shark Week’s cultural pervasiveness was confirmed when Tracy Morgan’s character dished out this advice to Kenneth the page during the show’s first season: “Live every week like it’s Shark Week.”

The line became one of the show’s signature quotes, in addition to just being good life advice.

Forecast calls for ‘Sharknado’

Speaking of ideas that sound like they were hatched while stoned, SyFy last year decided that it shouldn’t let that “science” network have all the fun when it came to sharks. So in the tradition of “Snakes on a Plane,” it created a movie title absurd enough to light social media on fire.

Despite the fact that the plot was spectacularly dumb — Couldn’t everyone just move out of the way of the falling sharks? It’s not like they have wings or legs — peopled loved it. The sequel, set in New York City, was even more absurd (they have to write into the plot an explanation of why it was snowing at Citi Field during a Mets game, because they filmed in winter), but viewers didn’t care.

Literally the best Shark Week ever? (2014)

Rob Lowe, who until last year starred as Chris Traeger on “Parks and Recreation,” will host the 26th Shark Week, kicking off Sunday. The Discovery Channel has been hit with criticism lately for swapping out its scientific shows for faux-documentaries.

But it’s when they start putting sharks into weather phenomenon that we’ll get really worried.