Lou Gehrig (placeholder)

New York Yankees great and baseball legend.

Henry Louis Gehrig, born Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig (born June 19, 1903 in New York City, New York—died June 2, 1941 in New York City, New York,) was a Major League first baseman who played his entire career for the New York Yankees. Alongside teammate Babe Ruth, Gehrig contributed to one of the greatest teams in baseball history, the 1927 Yankees.

Lou Gehrig was known as “The Iron Horse” for his durability. Between 1925 and 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games—a 14-year span—before missing a game due to his being stricken with a fatal neuromuscular disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It would later become known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” His streak, once believed to be one of baseball’s few unbreakable records, would stand until shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles played in his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995.

Other nicknames given to him were: “Columbia Lou” and “Larrupin’ Lou.”

Late in his career, Gehrig’s hands were x-rayed, and they showed that he had suffered 17 distinct old and new fractures. It is a testament to his toughness; considering how battered his hands alone were, it is not difficult to imagine what condition the rest of Lou’s body was in during his career.