Lou Gehrig

Henry Louis Gehrig, born Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941), was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the New York Yankees and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Along with teammate Babe Ruth, Gehrig anchored one of the most powerful offenses in baseball history. He was known as The Iron Horse for his reliability; he played in every Yankees game for nearly 14 years, setting a record that stood until 1995. His career was prematurely ended by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative terminal illness which came to be widely known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

On film

The Pride of the Yankees, a 1942 film about Gehrig's life, featured Gary Cooper. It received 11 Academy Award nominations, but only garnered one win. In a famous scene, Gehrig visits a crippled boy named Billy (Gene Collins) in a hospital and promises to hit 2 home runs for him in a single World Series game; Gehrig successfully fulfills his promise, and Billy is soon able to walk again. This event was parodied on an episode of Seinfeld and in the movie Baseketball.

Related Topics:
The Pride of the Yankees - Gary Cooper - Academy Award - Gene Collins - World Series - Seinfeld - Baseketball

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