Henry Louis Gehrig (Lou Gehrig).

John Mendez Mr. Rinard Period 4 AP US History Henry Louis Gehrig (Lou Gehrig) Henry Louis Gehrig, or Lou Gehrig, was born on June 19, 1903. When Lou was five years old, him and his family moved to Washington Heights from Yorkville. Lou's friends teased him about his German roots and was then called "Heinie," "dumb Dutchman," or "Krauthead." However, as he grew older, his size and muscles made other kids realize that he was not one to …

…as the Iron Horse because he established a record for the number of consecutive games played by a professional baseball player, appearing in 2130 consecutive games from 1925 to 1939. Lou Gehrig was struck with the spinal disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and was forced to retire from baseball early in the 1939 season. ALS has come to be known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gehrig was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and died from ALS in 1941.