On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig gave one of the most famous speeches in sports history. The occasion was "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" at Yankee Stadium in New York. Parts of the speech are well known to this day: "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." The audio recording of his voice echoing throughout the stadium has been replayed countless times. The "bad break" Gehrig alluded to in his speech was his contraction of a fatal disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. ALS is a neuromuscular disease that attacks nerve cells in the central nervous system, causing paralysis and eventually death. No one knows what causes ALS, and nearly 30,000 people in the United States live with the disease. Because of Gehrig's extreme celebrity and the tragedy of his death, ALS is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Before the symptoms of ALS began causing problems for Gehrig, he was one of the greatest baseball players in history. Known as "The Iron Horse" because of his durability, Gehrig played in 2,130 straight games without an absence. The streak was cut short by Gehrig's retirement due to ALS. The streak of 2,130 consecutive games stood for 56 years until it was broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995. Sixty years after he retired, fans made him the leading vote-getter for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Over 70 years later, what many remember about Gehrig is his humbleness. He always recognized that he was, in his own words, "the luckiest man on the face of the earth." He had been given extraordinary athletic ability and played on one of the greatest baseball teams in history. He had loving, supportive parents and a wife of tremendous bravery. He was able to do what he loved most, play baseball, for 16 seasons. Though he died only two short years after his disease was diagnosed, Gehrig will long be remembered.
This article is mostly about
A.
Lou Gehrig's spectacular baseball career with the Yankees.
B.
Lou Gehrig and a speech he gave over 70 years ago.
C.
Lou Gehrig's disease, what causes it, and how it affects people.
D.
Lou Gehrig's record of playing 2,130 consecutive games.