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Podcast: The Strange History Podcast
Episode: The Man Who Survived a Rod Through His Skull: Phineas Gage Explained
Description: On March 5, 1823, Phineas Gage was born — a man who would unknowingly become one of the most important figures in the history of neuroscience. In 1848, while working as a railroad foreman in Vermont, Gage survived an unimaginable accident when a 13-pound iron tamping rod blasted through his skull and frontal lobe. He lived — but his personality changed dramatically. Friends claimed he was “no longer Gage,” and doctors began to question everything they thought they knew about the human brain. In this deep-dive episode of The Strange History Podcast, we explore the full historical account of Phineas Gage’s injury, Dr. John Martyn Har...