lou gehrig

     

Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941), born Luwig Heinrich Gehrig, was an American baseball player in the 1920s and 1930s, chiefly remembered for his prowess as a slugger and the longevity of his consecutive games played record, which stood for more than a half-century, and the pathos of his tearful farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with a fatal disease. Popularly called "The Iron Horse" for his durability, Gehrig set several Major League records. His record for most career grand slam home runs (23) still stands today. Gehrig was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association. A native of New York City, he played for the New York Yankees until his career was cut short by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now commonly referred to in the United States as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Over a 15-season span between 1925 and 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games. The streak ended when Gehrig became disabled with the fatal neuromuscular disease that claimed his life two years later. His streak, long believed to be one of baseball's few unbreakable records, stood for 56 years until finally broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 1995.

Trivia about lou gehrig

  • While many diseases bear doctors' names, a nerve disease is named for this victim who died in 1941
  • Cal Ripken broke this man's consecutive -games record
  • On June 1, 1925, pinch hitting for Pee Wee Wanninger, he played his first of 2,130 games in a row
  • In 1927 Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs but this first baseman & Yankee teammate was league MVP
  • He played in 2,130 consecutive games; no wonder he was the pride of the Yankees
  • In the 1960s Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a disease named for this famous athlete
  • This former New York Yankee seen here on a stamp died at age 37
  • With the Yankees from 1923 to 1939, his No. 4 was the first number retired in either league
  • "The Iron Horse"
  • 1942:"Pride of the Yankees"
  • "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth...I've got an awful lot to live for"
  • "The Iron Horse"
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as his disease, claimed his life in 1941
  • This "Iron Horse" pulled himself from the Yankee lineup on May 2, 1939 after 2,130 consecutive games
  • (Joe Torre) As seen in a well-known clip, July 4, 1939 was appreciation day for this ailing man at Yankee Stadium
  • In "Pride of the Yankees", Gary Cooper played this proud but ailing Yankee
  • 1942:"The Pride of the Yankees"
  • By A.L.S.,June 2, 1941
  • (Jimmy of the Clue Crew reads from Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.) Yankee Stadium's Monument Park honors this first baseman whose career was tragically cut short
  • A.L.S., the most common form of motor neuron disease, is also named for him
  • On July 4, 1939 he gave a famous farewell speech in the Bronx