History of Lou Gehrig in Timeline
Lou Gehrig, nicknamed "the Iron Horse," was a celebrated New York Yankees first baseman (1923-1939). Known for his hitting and exceptional durability, he achieved a .340 career batting average with 493 home runs and 1,995 RBIs. A seven-time All-Star, Triple Crown winner, and two-time AL MVP, Gehrig contributed to six World Series championships. He famously played in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for 56 years. His career was tragically cut short by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), now often called Lou Gehrig's disease. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, and the Yankees retired his number 4, a first in MLB.
1900: Marriage of Parents
In 1900, Lou Gehrig's parents, Heinrich and Christina, were married in the United States. They were both Lutheran.
June 19, 1903: Lou Gehrig Born
On June 19, 1903, Henry Louis Gehrig, also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was born. He would become a renowned baseball player known for his hitting and durability.
June 26, 1920: Grand Slam at Cubs Park
On June 26, 1920, Lou Gehrig, playing for Commerce High School, hit a grand slam completely out of Cubs Park (now Wrigley Field) in Chicago, garnering national attention.
1921: Ruth's Extra-Base Hits
In 1921, Babe Ruth recorded 119 extra-base hits.
1921: Graduation from Commerce High School
In 1921, Lou Gehrig graduated from Commerce High School.
1922: Columbia Lions Football
In 1922, Lou Gehrig played collegiate sports as a fullback for the Columbia Lions football team.
1922: Rogers Hornsby's Total Bases
In 1922, Rogers Hornsby had 450 total bases
April 18, 1923: Strikeout Record
On April 18, 1923, Lou Gehrig struck out seventeen Williams Ephs batters to set a team record as a Columbia pitcher.
April 29, 1923: Signed with the Yankees
On April 29, 1923, Lou Gehrig, then a student at Columbia University, signed with the New York Yankees.
June 15, 1923: MLB Debut
On June 15, 1923, Lou Gehrig made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter for the New York Yankees at age 19.
1923: Started with the Yankees
In 1923, Lou Gehrig began his seventeen-season career with the New York Yankees.
1923: Columbia Baseball
In 1923, Lou Gehrig played first base and pitched for the Columbia baseball team.
1923: Returns to Hartford Senators
In 1923, Lou Gehrig returned to the minor-league Hartford Senators to play parts of two seasons.
1924: Limited Playing Time
In 1924, Lou Gehrig saw limited playing time, mostly as a pinch hitter.
1924: Continues with Hartford Senators
Lou Gehrig continued with the minor-league Hartford Senators in 1924.
June 1, 1925: Replaces Wally Pipp
On June 1, 1925, Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp at first base due to Pipp's illness, beginning Gehrig's streak of consecutive games.
1925: Teammate with Babe Ruth
In 1925 Lou Gehrig became teammate with Babe Ruth.
1925: Starting First Baseman
In 1925, Lou Gehrig became the Yankee's starting first baseman.
1926: World Series participation
In 1926 Lou Gehrig participated in the World Series.
1926: Breakout Season
In 1926, Lou Gehrig had his breakout season, batting .313 with significant contributions in doubles, triples, home runs, and RBIs. He also played in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
1927: Greatest Season
In 1927, Lou Gehrig had one of the greatest seasons by any batter in history, achieving high numbers in batting average, hits, RBIs, and extra-base hits. He also helped the Yankees win the World Series.
1929: Uniform Numbers
In 1929, the New York Yankees began wearing numbers on their uniforms. Lou Gehrig wore number 4.
1930: Start of High RBI Streak
In 1930 Lou Gehrig began a three-season stretch where he had 509 RBIs between 1930 and 1932.
1930: High Batting Average
In 1930, Lou Gehrig had one of his six seasons where he batted .350 or better, with a high of .379.
1932: Miller Huggins Monument
In 1932 a monument was placed to Miller Huggins, which would eventually be followed by Babe Ruth's in 1949.
1932: Four Home Runs in a Game
In 1932, Lou Gehrig became the first player in the 20th century to hit four home runs in a single game, playing against the Philadelphia Athletics.
1932: Met Future Wife
In 1932, Lou Gehrig met Eleanor Twitchell, who would become his wife.
August 17, 1933: Consecutive Games Record
On August 17, 1933, Lou Gehrig played in his 1,308th consecutive game, breaking Everett Scott's record for the longest consecutive games-played streak.
April 30, 1934: 300th Home Run
On April 30, 1934, Lou Gehrig hit his 300th home run versus the Washington Senators.
April 30, 1934: Won AL Triple Crown
On April 30, 1934, Lou Gehrig won the AL Triple Crown.
1934: More home runs than Ruth
In 1934, Gehrig hit 49 home runs compared to Ruth's 22.
1935: Ruth's final season with the Yankees
1935 was Ruth's final year with the Yankees, retiring after a few games.
1936: Time Magazine Cover
In 1936, Lou Gehrig was featured on the cover of Time magazine, which proclaimed him "the game's No. 1 batsman."
1937: Photographs taken
In 1937 some photos of Lou Gehrig were taken to determine when he began showing visible symptoms of ALS.
1937: Outstanding Season
In 1937, Lou Gehrig had an outstanding season, batting .351 and slugging .643.
January 1938: Filming Rawhide
In January 1938, Lou Gehrig starred in the movie Rawhide.
September 27, 1938: Last Home Run
On September 27, 1938, Lou Gehrig hit his last home run.
May 2, 1939: End of Consecutive Game Streak
On May 2, 1939, Lou Gehrig voluntarily took himself out of the lineup, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 2,130. He was suffering from an undiagnosed ailment.
June 13, 1939: Arrival at Mayo Clinic
On June 13, 1939, Lou Gehrig arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for testing after experiencing worsening symptoms.
June 1939: ALS Diagnosis
In June 1939, Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
June 19, 1939: ALS Diagnosis Released to Public
On June 19, 1939, the Mayo Clinic released Lou Gehrig's ALS diagnosis to the public.
October 1939: Appointment as Parole Commissioner
In October 1939, Lou Gehrig accepted Mayor La Guardia's appointment to a ten-year term as a New York City parole commissioner.
December 7, 1939: Election to Baseball Hall of Fame
On December 7, 1939, Lou Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in a special election related to his illness.
1939: Decline in Spring Training
During the 1939 spring training, it became evident that Lou Gehrig's physical abilities were declining significantly, impacting his power and base running.
1939: Photographs taken
In 1939 some photos of Lou Gehrig were taken to determine when he began showing visible symptoms of ALS.
1939: Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
In 1939, Lou Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and had his uniform number retired by the Yankees.
January 2, 1940: Sworn into Office
On January 2, 1940, Lou Gehrig was sworn into office as a New York City parole commissioner.
June 2, 1941: Lou Gehrig's Death
On June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig passed away due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
July 6, 1941: Monument Dedication
On July 6, 1941, the Yankees dedicated a monument to Lou Gehrig in center field at Yankee Stadium.
1941: Monument Dedicated
In 1941, a monument in Lou Gehrig's honor was originally dedicated by the Yankees.
1942: Release of "The Pride of the Yankees"
In 1942, the film "The Pride of the Yankees" was released, starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig.
1946: Father's Death
Lou Gehrig's father, Heinrich Wilhelm Gehrig, died in 1946.
1949: Babe Ruth Monument
1954: Mother's Death
Lou Gehrig's mother, Anna Christina Foch, died in 1954.
1955: Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
In 1955, the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award was first presented to an MLB player who best exhibits Gehrig's character and integrity, both on and off the field.
April 19, 1956: "The Lou Gehrig Story" TV Episode
On April 19, 1956, "The Lou Gehrig Story" was featured on an episode of the CBS anthology TV series Climax!
1969: Greatest First Baseman
In 1969, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Lou Gehrig the greatest first baseman of all time.
1972: Youngest Player in Hall of Fame
In 1972, Sandy Koufax became the youngest player to enter the Hall of Fame.
1976: Publication of My Luke and I
In 1976, Eleanor Gehrig and Joseph Durso wrote the autobiography My Luke and I.
1978: "A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story" TV Movie
In 1978, the TV movie "A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story" aired, starring Blythe Danner and Edward Herrmann.
March 6, 1984: Eleanor Gehrig's Death
On March 6, 1984, Eleanor Gehrig died on her 80th birthday and was interred with Lou Gehrig.
1984: Death of Eleanor Twitchell
Lou Gehrig's wife, Eleanor Twitchell, passed away in 1984.
1994: Birthplace Memorialized
Lou Gehrig's birthplace in Manhattan at 1994 Second Avenue is memorialized with a plaque.
September 6, 1995: Ripken Breaks Record
On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games played.
1995: Consecutive Game Record Broken
In 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played, which had stood for 56 years.
1999: All-Century Team Selection
In 1999, Lou Gehrig received the most votes of any baseball player on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
1999: Ranked Among Greatest Players
In 1999, Sporting News ranked Lou Gehrig sixth on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".
2004: All Star Baseball 2004
In 2004, Lou Gehrig's digital likeness and the opening quote of the "baseball's Gettysburg Address" were featured in All Star Baseball 2004.
2006: ALS Symptom Analysis
In 2006, researchers analyzed the movie Rawhide and photographs of Lou Gehrig from 1937-1939 to determine when he began showing visible symptoms of ALS, concluding that he functioned normally in January 1938.
2008: "The Pride of the Yankees" Honored
In 2008, the AFI honored "The Pride of the Yankees" as the third-best sports picture ever made.
September 2010: CTE Speculation
In the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, an article suggested that some ALS-related illnesses diagnosed in athletes, including Lou Gehrig, may have been CTE, catalyzed by repeated concussions and other brain trauma.
2010: RBI Record Tied
In 2010, Alex Rodriguez tied Lou Gehrig's major-league record of 13 consecutive seasons with 100 or more RBIs.
2012: Effort to Access Medical Records
In 2012, Minnesota state representative Phyllis Kahn sought to change the law protecting the privacy of Lou Gehrig's medical records to investigate a possible connection between his illness and concussion-related trauma.
July 28, 2013: Hall of Fame Tribute
On July 28, 2013, Lou Gehrig and eleven other deceased ballplayers received a special tribute during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
March 2021: Lou Gehrig Day Established
In March 2021, Major League Baseball declared June 2 as Lou Gehrig Day.
2022: New York Mount Rushmore of Sports
In 2022, Sporting News named Lou Gehrig on their "New York Mount Rushmore of Sports".
2025: AL RBI Record
As of 2025, Lou Gehrig's 185 RBIs in 1931 remain the American League Record.
