#JawsTaughtUs Shark Maps at Ball State University Libraries

This Day in History:  Jaws

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) “Map of the Month” for June 2017 is a map called “June-things.”  The map features important events in world history that took place in June.  The map includes historical events like the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Battle of Little Bighorn, and Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.  But the map also includes entertainment events like the debut of Superman in a comic book, Secretariat winning the Triple Crown, and movie releases like “Grease” and “Jaws.”

From the map:  “Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘Jaws’ was released on June 20, 1975—a classic summer blockbuster.  The movie became the highest-grossing film of all time until ‘Star Wars’ in 1977.”

The GRMC also includes a map of shark attacks along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of the United States.  “Shark Attacks” was published by Sealake Products in 2006.  The map identifies the locations of hundreds of shark attacks and includes descriptive and historical notes about the most tragic attacks of the last century.  Photographs and diagrams of sharks are also included on the map.  (The book, “Jaws,” takes place in Amity on Long Island in New York, but the movie was filmed in Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts).

The “Map of the Month” can be viewed in the front windows of the GRMC on the second floor of Bracken Library.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.