These 45 Great Speeches Of History Will Leave You Feeling InspiredThe Stories Behind These 45 Great Historic Speeches Will Leave You Feeling Inspired

Lou Gehrig – 1939, Yankee Stadium, New York City – Speech to Announce a Forced Retirement

New York Yankees star Lou Gehrig proved that he wasn’t just an athlete worth watching but also one people ought to listen to. At the Yankee Stadium in 1939, he delivered a speech that’s still considered among the most memorable ones uttered in all of sports history.

Calling himself the “luckiest man on the face of the earth,” he bid farewell to fans and colleagues as he was forced to enter early retirement. His speech was met with applause and a standing ovation, a fitting end to Gehrig’s storied career inside the baseball diamond.

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