Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse" bid farewell to baseball on July 4, 1939, delivering his emotional "Luckiest Man" speech before 60,000+ adoring fans at Yankee Stadium. Offered is an original Type I photo captured that very afternoon as a solemn Lou Gehrig stood beside his manager, Joe McCarthy on "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day," uttering his now-famous words to the crowd: "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." One of the greatest players to ever wear a uniform, Lou Gehrig spent 17 seasons as the New York Yankees first baseman, amassing seven World Series titles, a lifetime .340 batting average, 493 career home runs, two AL MVP honors (1927, 1936), and a triple crown in 1934. Following a down year in 1938 and a slow start in 1939, an exhausted Gehrig removed himself from the lineup on May 2, ending his once thought unbreakable streak of 2130 consecutive games played. Gehrig's wife, Eleanor convinced him to scheduled tests with the Mayo Clinic, and on June 19, 1939 (his 36th birthday) Gehrig was ultimately diagnosed with a progressive neurodegenerative disease known as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) that would soon prove fatal. The all-time-great played his final game as a Yankee in an exhibition game one week prior, on June 12, 1939, the very day the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown opened it's doors for the first time. Gehrig was voted into the Hall by the Baseball Writers Association of America by a special election on December 7, 1939, waiving the standard 5-year waiting period following a player's retirement. Sadly, the all-time-great would pass away from ALS (now often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease) at his home in the Bronx less than two years later. The offered 7" x 9" fresh to the hobby Type I photograph presents beautifully despite obvious wear to three of the four corners. Verso includes credit stamping from Wide World along with a full paper caption describing one of the most significant moments in baseball lore. Authenticated and encapsulated as a Type I photo by PSA/DNA.