The Ice Bucket Challenge raised awareness and funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly abbreviated ALS.
The viral campaign involved recording a person having a bucket of ice water poured over their head, often followed by a donation and nominations for other participants. It spread explosively across social media during July and August 2014, bringing unprecedented public attention to ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that damages motor nerve cells.
In the United States, the campaign became strongly associated with the ALS Association. It raised more than $115 million for that organization in 2014, while the worldwide total was reported at roughly $220 million. The movement also supported patient services, education, and scientific research.
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famous New York Yankees baseball player who publicly announced his diagnosis in 1939. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, the related term motor neurone disease is more commonly used.