Lou Gehrig

Henry Louis Gehrig was born in 1903 in Manhattan, New York City, the second of four children of German immigrants; his mother, a maid, was the family's main breadwinner. He starred at Commerce High School and attended Columbia University on a football scholarship, also playing baseball. He joined the New York Yankees in 1923 and became their regular first baseman in 1925. Batting behind Babe Ruth, he was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, and his durability earned him the nickname 'The Iron Horse'. Between 1925 and 1939 he played 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for 56 years, and he helped the Yankees win six World Series. In 1939 his play declined sharply, and he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal nerve disease now often called Lou Gehrig's disease. On July 4, 1939, at Yankee Stadium, he told the crowd that he considered himself 'the luckiest man on the face of the earth'. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame that year and died in New York in 1941.

Lou Gehrig is also an author in the library: author page and works.

Faith: Raised by Lutheran parents; his funeral was held at an Episcopal church. Source: Wikipedia