Lou Gehrig Is Born in New York City

Henry Louis Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903, in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan to German immigrant parents. His father, Heinrich, worked as an ornamental ironworker when he could find jobs. His mother, Christina, cleaned houses and took in laundry. Of four children born to the Gehrigs, Lou was the only one to survive past infancy.

Christina Gehrig wanted her son to become an engineer. Lou enrolled at Columbia University in 1921 on a football scholarship, and he played both football and baseball for the Lions. His power at the plate attracted scouts immediately. Yankees general manager Ed Barrow offered Gehrig a contract, and he signed in 1923, leaving Columbia before finishing his degree. His mother never fully forgave him.

Over seventeen seasons in pinstripes, Gehrig compiled a .340 career batting average, 493 home runs, 1,995 RBI, and 23 grand slams, a record that stood for more than seven decades until Alex Rodriguez surpassed it. He drove in more than 150 runs seven times, a feat matched most closely by Babe Ruth with six. He hit fourth behind Ruth for a decade, and the combination formed the most devastating back-to-back threat in baseball history.

The consecutive games streak defined his public identity. From June 1, 1925, to April 30, 1939, Gehrig played in 2,130 straight games. He played through broken fingers, back spasms, and bone chips. He played when he could barely swing the bat, and the streak outlasted every expectation of what one body could endure.

It ended because Gehrig's body was failing in ways no one understood. He pulled himself from the lineup on May 2, 1939. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that June. Gehrig delivered his famous "luckiest man" speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. He died on June 2, 1941, at age 37. The disease now bears his name.