Chip Chick
Some argue that one of history’s most iconic pop culture couples was legendary actress Marilyn Monroe and baseball star Joe DiMaggio.
While their relationship was complicated, tumultuous, and didn’t last very long, people are still fascinated by their story to this day.
If you know about Marilyn or Joe separately but not much about their time as a couple, here’s the rundown.
Marilyn and Joe met in 1952. She was 25-years-old at the time, and he was in his late 30s. Joe had just retired from the New York Yankees after 13 years of playing ball and becoming one of the team’s most legendary players.
That year, Marilyn’s career was steadily on the rise, and she was beginning to star in a few supporting roles that earned her some attention in the press.
Joe DiMaggio initially saw Marilyn not in person but in a newspaper. She was posing in a baseball uniform, and he made calls to every connection he had until he found someone who could put them in touch. After their first date, they entered a highly publicized relationship that was often long-distance due to their contrasting careers.
America was instantly mesmerized by Marilyn and Joe as an item, as they represented a sort of American dream. They were like the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce of the 1950s. She was quickly turning into Hollywood’s shining star, and he was the country’s beloved baseball legend.
After dating for two years and turning into one of America’s most famous couples, Marilyn and Joe married in San Francisco in January 1954; this was the second time each of them was married, and the attention they received from the press only became more intense once they tied the knot.
Letters Marilyn sent to her friends and connections led scholars to believe that she and Joe cherished their private moments away from all the media attention, although they were few and far between. Their publicity began to bother Joe and caused arguments in their relationship.
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