Historical eventSeptember 131848

Phineas Gage

An explosion drove an iron rod through the head of railroad foreman Phineas Gage; his survival and recovery influenced 19th-century discussion of psychology and neuroscience.

Everything on September 13Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, September 13 1848178 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1840s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1848.

What came beforeAI-assisted

In the 1840s, railroad construction was expanding rapidly across North America, with blasting powder used to clear rock for rail beds. The relationship between brain injury and personality change was largely unexplored in medical science, with phrenology dominating popular theories about mind and behavior.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

Gage was tamping down powder in a blasting hole at the railroad construction site near Cavendish, Vermont, when the powder ignited prematurely. The resulting explosion drove a 13-pound iron tamping rod—1¼ inches in diameter and 3 feet 7 inches long—completely through his skull, entering below his left cheekbone and exiting through the top of his head.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Phineas Gage was a 25-year-old railroad foreman known for his reliability and good character before the accident. Dr. John Martyn Harlow, a local physician, treated Gage's injuries and later documented the case, becoming the primary source for medical understanding of the incident.

TimelineAI-assisted

September 13, 1848: The explosion occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. at the railroad construction site. Gage remained conscious, was transported to town, and received medical treatment from Dr. Harlow within hours of the injury.

Gage survived the initial injury and infection but experienced significant personality changes during recovery. He died in 1860, and his skull and the iron rod were preserved and became important artifacts in the history of neuroscience.

What happened

An explosion drove an iron rod through the head of railroad foreman Phineas Gage; his survival and recovery influenced 19th-century discussion of psychology and neuroscience.

September 13 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1848Phineas Gage
  2. 1993Yitzhak Rabin
  3. 1993Nirvana (band)
  4. 1997German Air Force
  5. 2001September 11 attacks
  6. 2005Corrupted Blood incident
  7. 2007Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  8. 2007McLaren
  9. 2008Delhi
  10. 200813 September 2008 Delhi bombings
  11. 2013Taliban

Also in 1848

  • June 26June Days uprisingFrench authorities suppressed the June Days uprising (pictured), in which workers rioted in response to plans to close the National Works…
  • December 10Napoleon IIILouis-Napoleon Bonaparte won France's first presidential election, and was elected as the first and only president of the French Second R…
  • February 2Mexican–American WarMexican–American War: During the American occupation of Mexico City, diplomats signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the wa…
  • July 11London Waterloo stationWaterloo Bridge Station, which later became Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage, was opened by the London and South West…
  • November 3Constitution of the NetherlandsA new constitution drafted by Johan Rudolph Thorbecke was proclaimed, limiting the powers of the Dutch monarchy.
  • July 19Seneca Falls ConventionThe two-day Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's-rights and feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls,…
  • May 3Thomas Bateman (antiquary)Thomas Bateman excavated a high-status barrow, discovering objects including the boar-crested Benty Grange helmet, and the Benty Grange h…
  • March 4Charles Albert of SardiniaKing Charles Albert of Sardinia signs the Statuto Albertino, which would later serve as the constitution for the Kingdom of Italy.

Everything we record for 1848 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Phineas Gage”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/phineas-gage-1848-september-13, accessed October 25, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Phineas Gage happen?

September 13 1848 — 178 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

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