Which player set a record with a 56-game hitting streak in 1941?

From May 15 to July 16, 1941, Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees got at least one hit in fifty-six straight games. The streak captured the nation; a popular song, “Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio,” was written about it.

The record has never seriously been threatened. The closest anyone has come since was Pete Rose, with forty-four games in 1978.

The same season, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox batted .406, the last time a major leaguer hit over .400. DiMaggio won the MVP award that year. He later married Marilyn Monroe and, decades later, became the TV face of Mr. Coffee.