What made Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech so famous?

Henry Louis Gehrig was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees.

Lou Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname “The Iron Horse”.

A native of New York City and a student at Columbia University, Lou Gehrig signed with the Yankees on April 29,1923.

Lou Gehrig went on to set several major-league records during his career, including the most career grand slams (23; since broken by Alex Rodriguez) and most consecutive games played (2,130), a record that stood for 56 years and was long considered unbreakable until surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr., in 1995.

Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak ended on May 2, 1939, when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup, stunning both players and fans, after his performance on the field became hampered by an undiagnosed ailment subsequently confirmed to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable neuromuscular illness; it is now commonly referred to in North America as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

About two months after the diagnosis, thus, on July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig delivered what has been called “baseball’s Gettysburg Address” to a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium.

Having always avoided public attention, Lou Gehrig did not want to speak, but the crowd chanted for him and he was moved to speak to them.

What made Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech so famous?

Lou Gehrig had nothing prepared before he got up to the microphones.

simply put, Lou Gehrig spoke from his heart and what made his speech so compelling and famous is that he praised everyone from Miller Huggins, to his family, to the grounds crew, because somehow they made his career.