“You think sharks would be embarrassed if they knew that we can all see their fins sticking out on top of the water? (Beat.) I think they'd be bummed, 'cause I don't think sharks are aware of that at all. Sharks think they're slick. They swim around, like 'Nobody has any idea who's down here!!!' And we're all up here like 'There's totally a shark right there.'”
—LOUIS C.K.
SHARKS
- The first sharks lived more than 400 million years ago—200 million years before the first dinosaurs
- The first written account of a shark attack is found in Herodotus’ (c. 484–425 B.C.) description of hordes of “monsters” devouring the shipwrecked sailors of the Persian fleet
- Before sandpaper was invented, people used the rough skin of sharks, called shagreen, to smooth and polish wood. Japanese warriors wrapped the skin around the handles of their swords to keep the swords from slipping out of their hands
- The first use of the word “shark” in English occurred in 1569. Previously, English sailors and fishermen used the term “sea dog” or the Spanish tiburón
- Native Americans in Florida used the teeth of Great White sharks as arrowheads
