Phineas Gage (1823 - 1860)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Phineas' lifetime.

In 1823, in the year that Phineas Gage was born, President James Monroe first introduced the Monroe Doctrine in his State of the Union address. He didn't deliver the speech personally - it was written and delivered to Congress. The Doctrine said that any European attempts to re colonize the Americas would be considered a hostile act towards the United States. It also stated that the US wouldn't interfere with any European colonies and wouldn't interfere with any European affairs.

In 1835, at the age of just 12 years old, Phineas was alive when on June 2nd, P. T. Barnum and his "circus" began their first tour of the U.S. He had paid $1,000 for an elderly slave named Joice Heth, who he claimed was 161 years old and a former nurse for George Washington. Touring the northeast of the U.S., he made more than $1,000 per week. Joice died the next year - at about 80 years old.

In 1842, at the age of 19 years old, Phineas was alive when on August 14th, General William J. Worth declared that the Florida War - also called the Second Seminole War - was over. It was the "the longest and most costly of the Indian conflicts of the United States", lasting from 1835 to 1842. By the end of the war, it was costing $93,300 per month - plus the pay of the regular soldiers. An agreement allowed the Seminole either to move west or to move to a reservation in southwest Florida.

In 1850, when he was 27 years old, on April 4th, the city of Los Angeles - now the 2nd most populous city in the US - was incorporated. On April 15th, the city of San Francisco - now the 15h most populous city in the US - was incorporated. Both cities were incorporated before California became a state.

In 1860, in the year of Phineas Gage's passing, on April 3rd, the Pony Express began its first delivery from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. The trip took 10 days and the riders carried 49 letters, five telegrams, and newspapers for San Francisco and other cities along the way.