
Nellie Bly
investigative journalist
At the end of the 19th century, Nellie Bly was the name on every American's tongue. Known for pioneering investigative journalism, Nellie knew how to crack a story and even went undercover in harrowing circumstances ~ from factory floors to state-run asylums to active war zones ~ to expose corruption + wrongdoing.
Nellie's work not only earned the respect {and sometimes jealousy} of her colleagues, it also inspired real reform. In fact, Joseph Pulitzer's New York newspaper The World called her "the best reporter in America and that is saying a good deal."
fearless investigative journalism | helped introduce a new kind of reporting that involved going undercover in dangerous circumstances
world record setting | traveled around the world in record-breaking time ~ a trip inspired by early sci fi author Jules Verne's adventure novel, Around the World in Eighty Days
1885 | wrote a letter {"The Girl Puzzle"} to the editor of the Pittsburg Dispatch that so impressed him, he hired her...but, when he consigned her to writing fluff pieces, she quit + headed to New York City
~ She left her boss at the Dispatch the following note: "Dear Q.O., I'm off for New York. Look out for me. Bly." ~
1887 | went undercover as a mental patient to the infamous mental institution on Blackwell's Island, NYC to expose the mistreatment of patients
1889 | circumnavigated the world by ship + rail, setting a world record in just 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 second
from | to
writer under a pseudonym | ground-breaking investigative journalist
born on
May 5, 1864
born in
Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania
birth name
Elizabeth Jane Cochran
nickname | also known as
Pinky
Nellie Bly
~ her pen name came from Stephen Foster's folksong "Nelly Bly" ~
citizen of
United States of America
daughter of
Michael Cochran + Mary Jane
sister of
5 siblings + 10 half-siblings
grew up in
Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania
studied with
Indiana Normal School
~ Indiana, Pennsylvania | 1 semester ~
loved studying
politics
married to
Robert Seaman
~ an industrialist 40 years older than Nellie | married in 1895 ~
advocate for | influenced by | worked alongside
women's rights | Jules Verne + Susan B. Anthony | Joseph Pulitzer
died on
January 27, 1922
image credits
H. J. Myers | Library of Congress | public domain
H. J. Myers | Library of Congress | public domain
collapse bio bits"I have always been particular in stating only facts in all my work."
Untruths in Every Line | october 1887
"If one is traveling simply for the sake of traveling and not for the purpose of impressing one's fellow passengers, the problem of baggage becomes a very simple one."
Around the World in 72 Days | january 1890
"I need a vacation; why not take a trip around the world?"
Around the World in 72 Days | january 1890
"Let me rest rocked gently by the rolling sea, in a nest of velvety darkness, my only light the soft twinkling of the myriads of stars in the quiet sky above; my music, the round of the kissing waters, cooling the brain and easing the pulse; my companionship, dreaming my own dreams. Give me that and I have happiness in its perfection."
Around the World in 72 Days | january 1890
"If I loved and married, I would say to my mate: 'Come, I know where Eden is,' and like Edwin Arnold, desert the land of my birth for Japan, the land of love–beauty–poetry–cleanliness."
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days | january 1890
"I always have a comfortable feeling that nothing is impossible if one applies a certain amount of energy in the right direction."
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days | january 1890
"They can talk of the companionship of men, the splendor of the sun, the softness of moonlight, the beauty of music, but give me a willow chair on a quiet deck."
Around the World in 72 Days | january 1890
"Never having failed, I could not picture what failure meant."
From Jersey Back To Jersey | january 1890
"How nonsensical it is to blame or criticise people for what they are powerless to change."
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days | december 1890
for further reading about Nellie Bly:
curated with care by Angela Willard {september 2014}
Nellie Bly in a Mad House
An illustration in Nellie's book Ten Days in a Mad House, depicting her getting checked out by a psychiatrist. Nellie spent 10 days undercover to expose the maltreatment of female patients, many of whom she felt were as sane as she. She had to pull out some serious acting chops to get herself committed in the first place, but the stunt paid off ~ not only did it launch her career; it also led to state reforms of mental institutions + diagnoses.
Penn Library | public domain
Nellie Bly Journalist
This publicity shot pictures Nellie before embarking on her solo trip around the world. Traveling by steamship + train, her journey was a whopping 24,899 miles and took about 72 days. Her employers, The World newspaper made her record-breaking voyage into a world-class publicity stunt, running a contest {the prize ~ an all-expenses paid vacation overseas} to see if people could predict her arrival times at various checkpoints along the way. At the same time, the magazine Cosmopolitan sent their own female reporter, Elizabeth Bisland, around the world ~ in the opposite direction!
The New York World
Nellie Bly 2
Nellie Bly in her younger years. She was often called 'Pinky' due to her affinity for the color. While she grew up in Pennsylvania, the aspiring journalist realized that she had to leave Pittsburgh for New York to make her name. Along the way, she stayed in Mexico for 6 months doing stories about the country's culture + politics.
H. J. Myers, photographer | public domain
Round the world with Nellie Bly | The World's globe circler
Nellie's newspaper ~ The World ~ published this game-board illustration of her ambitious trip, with a square for each day to mark her location and a picture of the French author who inspired the voyage {sci fi + adventure writer Jules Verne} in the upper right corner. Nellie actually met with Jules along the way!
The New York World | Library of Congress | public domain