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Nellie Bly, one of the first female investigative reporters, shed light on the challenges faced by American women by bravely immersing herself in the world. In 1887, she pretended to be mentally ill and got admitted to a New York asylum to expose its harsh conditions. Her series of articles called “Ten Days in a Mad-House” in the New York World led to reforms in the asylum system and boosted her career as a journalist. Despite facing rejection due to her gender, Bly’s determination paid off. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, she had a tough childhood marked by poverty and family troubles, but she refused to be limited by societal expectations for women.
In 1885, when she was twenty-one, Bly wrote a passionate letter to the Pittsburgh Dispatch about women’s rights, signing it as Lonely Orphan Girl for extra drama. The editor, George Madden, recognized her talent and offered her a job right away. While working at the Dispatch, she exposed harsh conditions in prisons and factories. She also spent six months in Mexico with her mother, reporting on the abuses of the Porfirio Díaz dictatorship. Instead of being praised for her hard work, she was given a pay raise and put in charge of the society pages, which disappointed her because she wanted to fight against discrimination and injustice. Soon after, she left a note on her desk saying she had gone to New York.
Once she started working at the New York World, Bly took on various roles that allowed her to shed light on issues affecting women, like being a single mother or a prostitute. Even though she excelled at going undercover and writing compelling stories, her editors were shocked when she proposed her most famous story: traveling around the world in just seventy-five days, inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in 80 Days. This was a bold move at a time when a woman traveling alone was scandalous.
On November 14, 1889, Bly embarked on her journey aboard the Auguste Victoria bound for London. She packed lightly, bringing only a dress, paper, pens, and a jar of cold cream. Over 1 million readers followed her adventures, such as buying a mischievous monkey named McGinty in Singapore and spending Christmas at a leper colony in China. She even threatened to harm herself when faced with a delay that would add fourteen days to her journey.
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Despite facing many challenges and bad weather, Bly managed to reach America ahead of schedule, arriving seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes, and fourteen seconds after she set off. Crowds cheered her arrival, solidifying her status as a beloved figure in American journalism. Her book, Around the World in 72 Days, became a bestseller. Shortly after returning to the U.S., the New York World released a board game called Round the World with Nellie Bly, featuring places and people she encountered during her journey.
In a surprising turn of events, Bly eloped with Robert Livingston Seaman, an older industrialist she had only known for two weeks. She retired from journalism, inherited her husband’s wealth, and took over his company until his partners swindled her out of over $1.6 million, leaving her broke once more.
Despite these setbacks and her age, when war broke out in Europe, Bly didn’t hesitate to jump back into action. She risked her life as a British spy, visited war zones, and even braved trenches, showing incredible courage and determination in her fifties.
After returning from Europe in 1919, Bly found out her brother had taken all her belongings, including her house. She started advocating for better legal rights for women in the New York Evening Journal. At 57, she adopted a baby and a year later, she passed away from pneumonia in 1922 after a life full of adventures.
Her efforts opened doors for future female journalists. Although she circled the globe in seventy-two days, in her short fifty-seven years, she experienced a wide range of what it means to be a woman.
