Lou Gehrig

Guide Note:

Lou Gehrig was a first baseman for the New York Yankees during the 1920s and 1930s. Gehrig's consecutive games played streak of 2,130 stood for 61 years until broken by Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 at the age of 36, only months after his retirement due to the debilitating effects of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the condition otherwise known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

Fast Facts:

1. Born: June 19, 1903
2. Died: June 2, 1941
3. Birthplace: New York, New York
4. Holds record for most career Grand Slams with 23
5. Holds record for most consecutive seasons with over 150 RBIs: 6
6. Tied record for most home runs in a single game: 4
7. Holds record for most RBIs by a first baseman in baseball history: 1,995
8. Youngest individual ever inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame at 36
9. Story of career and retirement immortalized in film Pride of the Yankees
10. Played by Gary Cooper in film
11. Nickname: The "Iron Horse"

Born in Manhattan in 1903 to German immigrants, Gehrig joined the New York Yankees in 1923. Batting behind Babe Ruth, Gehrig was one of the greatest run producers of any baseball player in history, driving in over 150 runs in eight different seasons. His 184 RBIs in 1931 is still an American League record. Gehrig was part of the famed 1920s lineup of Yankee sluggers known as "Murderer's Row." In May 1939, Gehrig took himself out of the lineup, ending his consecutive games played streak at 2,130. On July 4, 1939, Gehrig addressed a capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium to tell them that despite the "bad break" of his disease and forced retirement, he was still the "luckiest man on the face of the Earth." Less than two years later, Gehrig died peacefully at his home in the Bronx.