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Lou Gehrig addressed a crowd of 61,808 at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. (Credit: Getty Images) Even taking into account the indelible connection between baseball and American history, it’s tough to summon a moment more iconic, albeit tragic, than Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech, which he delivered July 4, 1939. It was on July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, when the longtime Yankee first baseman uttered the famous words at a home plate ceremony at Yankee Stadium: “For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Later that summer, on July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day was held at Yankee Stadium, where Gehrig uttered the now famous and poignant words at a home plate ceremony: “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Lou Gehrig delivers his famed "Luckiest Man" speech in front of a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day Tickets. Individual Game Tickets Uncommon candid image taken during Lou Gehrig's heroic "Luckiest Man Alive" farewell speech given at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. Stamped by International News Photo on the reverse with pencil name identification as printed in the late 1940s. On July 4th, 1939, before 61,808 fans at Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig stood at a podium at home plate and declared himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth during one of the most memorable farewell speeches ever given. July 4, 1939 was the day of Lou Gehrig’s farewell “luckiest man” speech on “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” in a ceremony at home plate between games of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in New York. This was a momentous day in the game’s storied history, as well as an exceedingly sad one with respect to this magnificent star. Presented here is one of the most emotionally powerful and historically important photographs in the history of American sports—an original news service photograph capturing Lou Gehrig’s iconic farewell speech on July 4, 1939, at Yankee Stadium. 2 John Drebinger, “61,808 Fans Roar Tribute to Gehrig: Chief Figure at the Stadium and Old-Time Yankees who Gathered in His Honor,” New York Times, July 5, 1939: 21. 3 Jonathan Eig. Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 97. 4 Eig, 100. DALLAS, TX.- A Yankees Stadium ticket stub from July 4, 1939, the only known example bearing the humble signature of Lou Gehrig, The Iron Horse, realized more than $95,600, amidst spirited bidding, on Thursday night, July 31, as part of Heritage Auctions' Platinum Night sports auction in Cleveland, OH at the National Sports Collectors Convention. On Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, the Yankee icon gives his "Luckiest Man" speech. From our visit to Lou's final residence in Fieldston: This is the house where the humble and beloved Lou Gehrig died in 1941 at the age of 37. The Yankees' legendary first baseman was a man of prodigious talent, one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen. The overwhelmingly grateful tenor of Gehrig’s speech on July 4, 1939, contrasted the realities of what the great first baseman was facing. While he might have considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” when contemplating all he had been given, Gehrig would spend the next 23 months fighting a losing battle against a still-undefeated disease. On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig delivered his iconic "Luckiest Man" speech at Yankee Stadium, reflecting on his life and career after being diagnosed with ALS. T On July 4, 1939, the world of baseball witnessed a moment that would be etched in the annals of sports history forever. Lou Gehrig, the legendary New York Yankees first baseman, delivered his poignant “Luckiest Man Alive” speech at Yankee Stadium. "It was on July 4, 1939, that Gehrig, one of the most beloved and talented baseball players in history, retired from baseball, due to complications from ALS, with the immortal words 'today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth'" said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage. This splendid large photograph shows Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig together at Lou Gehrig Day, July 4, 1939, when "The Iron Horse" declared himself "The luckiest man on the face of the Earth." The relationship came full circle on July 4, 1939, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 97. 2 Eig, 100. Babe Ruth hugs Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. Lou drew a handkerchief from his pocket, blew his nose, wiped his eyes, and advanced to face the various sound devices. Twenty-three months later, the "Iron Horse" pulled out of the station for good, succumbing to ALS disease on 6/2/41. Two years to the day of Gehrig's heartfelt "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech, and one month after his demise, the Yankees planned another tribute for 7/4/41, the "Lou Gehrig Memorial" game. Gary Cooper, portraying Lou Gehrig, standing in front of those microphones, uttering those words. "Today, I consider myself, the luckiest man on the face of the earth." The movie The Pride of the Yankees captured that moment forever, crystallizing July 4, 1939, in the minds of baseball fans.
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