It started on May 15, 1941, with a single against Eddie Smith of the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. Seventy-five years later, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak remains baseball's most iconic record. The Yankee Clipper's Summer of 56 captivated a nation still recovering from the Great Depression.

As the streak mounted, following DiMaggio became something of a national distraction for Americans fearful of the great World War going on in Europe. "My mother who spoke only Italian and knew nothing of baseball knew about DiMaggio's streak,'' 88-year-old Tom Villante, a former Yankees batboy, said last week. Villante would forge a friendship with DiMaggio years later as Villante became an executive with Major League Baseball.

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Source: http://www.newsday.com/