how has Joe DiMaggio impacted history?

Question

im writing an enlish paper about Joe DiMaggio and im having trouble finding how he has impacted history. please help.

Answer 1

He was a great hitter and outfielder. He could hit around .340 consistently. He was a line-drive hitter with occasional power. He had a good eye, meaning he walked a lot. He didn't strike out much so he made contact and helped the team that way. His 56 game hitting streak might never be broken. The game his hitting streak ended, he did get a walk. He then had about a 24 game hitting streak. Meaning, he was on base an astonishing 81 games or so.

Answer 2

If you're wondering how Joe DiMaggio impacted history outside of baseball I'd say not at all. The number of sports figures who had any lasting impact on the world or even American society beyond their accomplishments on the field is very small. DiMaggio did impact baseball history as outlined by some previous answerers, so I won't repeat it here.

As an aside, Yankee Dude is probably correct in his assessment of The Yankee Clipper. He was not exactly the kind of person you'd hold up to be a role model. Not being a major source of gossip and scandal doesn't make someone classy, it makes them private. :-)

Answer 3

DiMaggio was known as a quiet, classy, graceful man. Because he was known as such he was a top pitchman for commercials as all companies wanted to be associated with those virtues.

He was a big coffee drinker his whole life. He became the national spokesman for the first home coffee maker, Mr. Coffee.

During World War II he enlisted and served in the Army Air Corps (before the current Air Force existed) and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Because he was looked upon so highly, he was a good recruiter for the Air Corps and for selling the War Bonds that helped pay for the war effort.

Take a look at the websites you can find about him by doing a simple Yahoo! search. You can find a ton of information pretty easily by doing that.

Answer 4

His baseball impact is easy to find. His personal stats (remember, he missed time serving in WWII and was a right-handed hitter in Old Yankee Stadium which had a CAVERNOUS center and left-center field) and team accomplishments speak for themselves.
Yes, he did sell himself to the highest bidder for endorsements but this was a time when the players had no rights like free agency. The teams paid the players whatever they wanted and the players' only option was to hold out and not play. In DiMaggio's era players who did that were looked down upon by the public. Remember, the Supreme Court ruled that the players rights were being violated in the 1970s which brought about the modern era of free agency.
However, DiMaggio was an important part of a lesser-known social change. Before his time (roughly the pre through post-WWII era), Italians were a minority that had only recently arrived in America. At this time most "established" Americans and American families were of English, German or Scandinavian backgrounds. These people looked down upon and discriminated against Italians (as well as the Irish, Eastern Europeans, Greeks, and other Mediterranean immigrants of the time). The fact that the "established" Americans were almost all Protestant and most Italians are Catholics only added to the tension.
Most people associate lynching with African-Americans but Italians were the second-most likely ethnic group to be lynched during America's "age of lynching" (the 19th and early 20th centuries). Eleven Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans in 1891 in one of the largest documented lynchings in US history. I've seen headlines from newspaper articles of the late 1930s that expressed surprise that an Italian such as DiMaggio could actually be such a good ballplayer, that he could somehow "overcome" his ethnic handicap. Look up the Sacco and Vanzetti case for another great example of this ethnic discrimination.
Ever wonder why the Irish were prevalent in the public service sector of the early 20th century (cops, etc) and Italians established the first truly powerful organized crime families in the country? Neither group had any other choice: they were shut out of private sector jobs, higher education and other important socio-economic circles.
It wasn't until the rise of Joe DiMaggio (the first superstar Italian baseball player who played on the marquee championship team in the biggest media market), the fact that more Italian-Americans served in WWII than any other American ethnic group and the subsequent economic rise of Italian-Americans that Italian-Americans were truly accepted into American society.
DiMaggio was not the only reason that Italian-Americans rose in American society but he was the figurehead of the movement at a time when major league baseball was HUGE in this country, bigger than any sport is now, even the NFL.

Answer 5

He introduced the world to "Mr. Coffee". The fact is Joe DiMaggio was not a very likable guy. He was NOT popular with his teammates and spent every single minute of his post baseball life selling himself to the highest bidder. His job was being Joe DiMaggio. He was selfish,greedy and trusted no one. He was a great ballplayer and saw Mickey Mantle as a threat to his legacy. In a way he was right because many more baseball fans loved Mantle even with all his faults but most could have cared less about Joe "D".

Answer 6

Where to start. Joe has impacted the game of baseball and lifestyles of celebrities in many ways. He was born in Martinez, CA to a family of fisherman, playing a version of baseball with a stick with his brothers Dom and Vince along with other kids from the area. He made it to professional ball playing for the San Francisco Seals before playing for the Yankees. A small town boy making it big. He also was one of the players to halt his career and go fight in WWII. A big impact on baseball is that he became the first $100,000 dollar player, along with his records. His marriage to Marilyn Monroe helped his celebrity status and became beloved by all fans. His big star status didn't stand in the way as he as had time for the fans. Much more about this legendary character, but don't want to take up much space. The Yankee Clipper, one of the greats.

Answer 7

He has the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball history by hitting in 56 straight games in 1941. He retired with a career .325 average. He also held the record for most home runs by a right handed hitter in 1937 when he hit 46. Alex Rodriguez broke the record in 2005 when he hit 48. He is also noted for being a classy person.That is how he impacted history.

Answer 8

Joe D always stuck out in my mind cuz he was a guy who had values that he believed in and stuck by what he thought was right and wrong. He probably influenced a lot of people to do the same. Not the mention a 56 game hit streak that will probably never be broken

Answer 9

He had the longest hitting streak of all time, which means that every day he came out and played his heart out. He was the leader of the Yankees in what I call their "confusion period" (time between the retirements of Gehrig and Ruth and their dominance in the 50's with Mantle and Berra). He also was quite the ladies man. I think he dated Marilyn Monroe, who apparently was the real Hollywood Hottie of the time (although it sounds weird saying that considering she's old enough to be my grandma).

Answer 10

He has done some fantastic Mr. Coffee commercials. I bet he has sold more coffee makers than anyone in any sport !!