Trivia

Banned the Kennedys and Rat Packers from Marilyn Monroe's funeral.

Claimed Marilyn Monroe's body after her death, and arranged her funeral, paying for her casket and crypt, and was the only one of her former husbands to attend the funeral.

For 20 years after the death of Marilyn Monroe, DiMaggio had a half-dozen red roses placed at her crypt 3 times a week. The flowers were ordered and delivered from Parisian Florist, 7528 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

While accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Golden Globes, Jack Nicholson noted that his first day of work as an actor was May 5, 1955, which he took as a good omen as "5" was the jersey number of his boyhood idol, DiMaggio. Nicholson later attended DiMaggio's memorial service.

Diamond and platinum "eternity ring" DiMaggio gave to Marilyn Monroe after their marriage was auctioned by Christie's for $772,500. (October 27, 1999)

Despite their son's popularity, Giuseppe and Rosalie DiMaggio - as were thousands of Italian immigrants - were classified as "enemy aliens" by the U.S. government after Pearl Harbor was attacked. They had to carry photo-identification booklets at all times, weren't allowed to travel more than 5 miles from their home without a permit, and Giuseppe's fishing boat was seized.

Never remarried after Marilyn Monroe's death.

Was sued by first wife Dorothy Arnold in June 1952 to get full custody of their son, claiming his now-girlfriend Marilyn Monroe posed a threat to the boy's morals. Suit was dismissed in February 1953.

Became the subject of death threats while dating Myrna Fahey in 1964. The FBI determined the threats came from a patient at Agnews State Hospital (Santa Clara, CA) who could not bear to see DiMaggio with anyone other than Marilyn Monroe. In an irony, Monroe's mother, Gladys Baker, was a patient at Agnews when DiMaggio began dating Monroe.

His mother wanted him to become a bookkeeper because of his proficiency in math.

Always insisted on being introduced as "baseball's greatest living ballplayer" at any event after he had been awarded that title.

His #5 is retired by the New York Yankees. [April 1952].

The only recorded instance of DiMaggio exhibiting any emotion on the field was during the 1947 World Series. He kicked the dirt after Al Gionfriddo's amazing catch of an otherwise home run.

Named Giuseppe by his mother in the hopes that he (the 8th) would be her last child; his middle name Paolo (Paul) was in honor of Giuseppe's favorite saint, St. Paul.

When he married Marilyn Monroe, the couple rented a home at 508 N. Palm Drive in Beverly Hills next to Jean Harlow's last home.

Had DiMaggio's streak reached 57 games, Heinz would have hired him to endorse their Heinz 57.

Auction of over 1,000 DiMaggio's personal possessions held by his son's adopted daughters: 2,000th hit baseball ($29,900); 1947 MVP Award ($281,750); game-worn 1951 World Series uniform ($195,500); Hall of Fame ring ($69,000); photo Marilyn Monroe autographed "I love you Joe" ($80,500); her passport ($115,000); their marriage certificate ($23,000). The event netted $4.1 million. [19-20 May 2006]

Almost signed to write his memoirs with Joseph Durso, but backed out because he didn't want to talk about Marilyn Monroe. Durso went ahead and penned "DiMaggio: The Last American Knight." It was the closest DiMaggio ever came to cooperating with any of his biographers.

Wanted no money for his cameo in Une amie pour la vie (1999), but SAG rules dictated he had to accept the minimum salary of $250 per day.

Vice-President of the Baltimore Orioles (1979 - 1988).

A monument was dedicated to him in Yankee Stadium on April 25, 1999.

The day after his 56 game hitting streak ended, DiMaggio embarked on a second streak that lasted 16 games. Had he hit in game #57, he would have had a 73 game hitting streak! DiMaggio had a 61-game hitting streak in the minor leagues.

His parents were from Isola delle Femmine, an islet off the coast of Palermo, Sicily; neither knew English. DiMaggio and his siblings did not learn English until they started school. Not surprisingly, English was DiMaggio's worst subject at school.

Mentioned in the Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel song "Mrs. Robinson.".

The Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital opened on September 17, 1992, for which DiMaggio raised over $4,000,000. Elián González was taken there after he was found by two fisherman off the coast of Miami.

Holds the Major League Baseball record of hitting safely in 56 consecutive games (1941).

Marilyn Monroe won an interlocutory decree from DiMaggio on 27 October 1954, but, under California law, the divorce was not finalized until exactly 1 year later.

First athlete to be awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom [10 January 1977].

Wore #9 during the first half of his rookie year (1936) before being switched to #5. #9 was later given to Roger Maris, in whose honor the Yankees retired it in 1984.

Dorothy Arnold converted to Catholism to marry DiMaggio. When each remarried, they were excommunicated for bigamy; this was later reversed by Vatican II.

Died at precisely 12:12 AM EST.

Executive Vice-President and batting instructor for the Oakland A's (1968 - 1969).

Known for playing a graceful centerfield, he was the best at the position during the thirties and forties.

Played by Bill Murray (in Days of the Week, The/Street Beef (1982) mock commercial "DiMaggio's on the Wharf"), Scott Bakula (in the 1983 Broadway musical "Marilyn"), Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher McDonald, John Diehl, Titus Welliver (character based on DiMaggio), Gary Busey (character based on DiMaggio), William Smith (character based on DiMaggio), Peter Palmer (in A Star Is Dead (1976); character based on DiMaggio), Michael Nouri, Peter Dobson, Sal Landi, and Frank Converse.

Pictured on one of a set of 4 USA nondenominated commemorative postage stamps issued 20 July 2013, celebrating Major League Baseball All-Stars. Price on day of issue was 45¢. Others honored in this issue were Ted Williams, Larry Doby, and Willie Stargell.

Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, 1955. Played for the American League's New York Yankees, 1936-1951 (except for military service, 1943-1945).

Les Brown's hit song "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" of the early forties was a tribute to DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak of 1941.

American League MVP (1939, 1941, 1947).

First athlete in North American pro sports history to be on 4 World Championship teams in his first 4 pro seasons. In total, DiMaggio led the New York Yankees to 9 World Series titles in 13 years.

Became the 1st baseball player to sign a contract for $100,000 ($70,000 base salary + bonuses). In 1950 and 1951, he signed contracts for $100,000 firm. (February 7, 1949)

Batted .408 during his 56 game hit streak, with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Wrote song "In the Beauty of Tahoe" with Harold Adamson [1941].

An estimated 20,000 well-wishers jammed the streets around San Francisco's Church of Sts. Peter's and Paul's to witness DiMaggio marry Dorothy Arnold.

Named the Greatest Living Player in a 1969 poll to celebrate baseball's 100th anniversary.

His father was a very harsh man who frequently told Joe he was lazy and '''good for nothing'' and openly dismissed his passion for Baseball, saying he should follow him into fishing.

Was born in a two-room dock-side house (destroyed by fire in 1948) and delivered by a midwife, identified on his birth certificate only as Mrs. J. Pico, at approximately 7:00 AM PST.

Brother of Dominic DiMaggio and Vince DiMaggio.

Linked romantically to Marian McKnight, Lee Meriwether, Liz Renay, Cleo Moore, Marlene Dietrich, Morgan Fairchild, Dixie Evans, Gloria DeHaven, Rita Gam, and Elizabeth Vargas. But he never publicly confirmed any involvement with any woman. McKnight told her hometown newspaper in 2005 that she was never involved with DiMaggio.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 161-163. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Referenced in: "South Pacific" song "Bloody Mary"; Raymond Chandler's novel "Farewell, My Lovely"; Woody Guthrie's song "DiMaggio Done It"; Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea"; The Note (1991); 'Tis the Fifteenth Season (2003); and Boobs in the Woods (1950).