Those words, describing New York City's most notorious mental institution, were written by journalist Nellie Bly in 1887. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. First, she wanted to beat the record set in the popular fictional world tour from Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days. American investigative journalist (18641922), Elizabeth Cochran, "Nellie Bly," aged about 26. Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore (February 11, 1861 - January 6, 1929) was an American journalist and author, perhaps now best known for her 1889-1890 race around the world against Nellie Bly, which drew worldwide attention. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. The piece shed light on a number of disturbing conditions at the facility, including neglect and physical abuse, and, along with spawning her book on the subject, ultimately spurred a large-scale investigation of the institution. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. Elizabeths writing career started abruptly and unintentionally. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. [10] In 1880, Cochrane's mother moved her family to Allegheny City, which was later annexed by the City of Pittsburgh. In 1887, 23-year-old reporter Nellie Bly had herself committed to a New York City asylum to expose the horrific conditions for 19th-century mental patients. Her plan was to graduate and find a position as a teacher. Nellie lived on a big farm with her parents Michael Cochran and Mary Kane and her siblings. It shed light on the disturbing living condition of patients, the neglect on part of the authorities and the physical abuse meted out to patients. [13] Her first article for the Dispatch, titled "The Girl Puzzle", argued that not all women would marry and that what was needed were better jobs for women. Her mother remarried but divorced in 1878 due to abuse. How many brothers and sisters did Harriet Tubman have? Thought lost, these novels were not collected in book form until their re-discovery in 2021.[75]. She also interviewed and wrote pieces on several prominent figures of the time, including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony. "[18] She then traveled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent, spending nearly half a year reporting on the lives and customs of the Mexican people; her dispatches later were published in book form as Six Months in Mexico. Omissions? After the fanfare of her trip around the world, Bly quit reporting and took a lucrative job writing serial novels for publisher Norman Munro's weekly New York Family Story Paper. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mill, Pennsylvania. How many siblings did Florence Nightingale have? She moved to New York City in 1886, but found it extremely difficult to find work as a female reporter in the male-dominated field. Returning to Pittsburgh, she temporarily continued working for The Pittsburgh Dispatch before leaving for New York City in 1887. [11], Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. Christina Ricci starred as Bly and Transparent's Judith Light played the role of the head nurse. Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. [9] In 1879, she enrolled at Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for one term but was forced to drop out due to lack of funds. Bly, Nellie. Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman. Combine Elizabeth Cochranes life story with the life stories of, Connect Elizabeth Cochranes work to that of fellow muckraker, Elizabeth Cochrane was one of many Americans who fought to eradicate what she perceived as the evils of modern life. She married millionaire Robert Seaman in 1895, but after his death she suffered financial reverses, and she returned to newspaper work on the New York Journal in 1920. How many siblings did Frances Hodgson Burnett have? Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. Nellie started boarding school but had to drop out after only one term since her parents did not have enough money to pay for the school. The story of Nellie Bly, a female journalist who willingly got herself admitted to an insane asylum in 1890s New York so she could write about the experience and expose the injustices. [49], During the 1990s, playwright Lynn Schrichte wrote and toured Did You Lie, Nellie Bly?, a one-woman show about Bly. Answer and Explanation: Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). With Caroline Barry, Christopher Lambert, Kelly LeBrock, Julia Chantrey. On train, ship, rickshaw, horse, and donkey . 1893-1894. How many siblings did Deborah Sampson have? She lived there as an international correspondent for the Dispatch for six months. [2], Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born May 5, 1864,[3] in "Cochran's Mills", now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. She was 57 years of age. At 15, Bly enrolled at the State Normal School in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Blys successful career reached new heights in 1889 when she decided to travel around the world after reading the popular book by Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days. Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husbands Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. How many siblings did Martha Washington have? She told him about her plans to travel alone by train and ship around the world. How many siblings did James Meredith have? From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. [26] She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Bly's celebrity reached an international level with her mission to travel around the world in 80 days, just as the character Phileas Fogg did in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. [32] In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the World. Nellie Bly Wikipedia. In 1911, she returned to journalism as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. Also Known As: Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Elisabeth Cochrane Seaman, place of death: New York City, United States, Notable Alumni: Indiana University Of Pennsylvania, education: Indiana University Of Pennsylvania, See the events in life of Nellie Bly in Chronological Order, (Journalist and Writer Known for Her Record-BreakingTrip Around the Worldin 72 Days), http://www.newseum.org/2015/03/17/unsung-heroes-nellie-bly/, http://womenshistory.about.com/od/blynellie/p/Nellie-Bly.htm, https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2015/01/25/Honoring-Nellie-Bly-s-trip-125-years-ago-a-British-woman-retraces-her-steps-around-the-globe/stories/201501250014, https://www.biography.com/people/nellie-bly-9216680. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922). She regularly sent articles reporting about the lives and customs of Mexican people which were later published as a book titled, Six Months in Mexico. To sustain interest in the story, the World organized a "Nellie Bly Guessing Match" in which readers were asked to estimate Bly's arrival time to the second, with the Grand Prize consisting at first of a trip to Europe and, later on, spending money for the trip. [11], In 1885, a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch titled "What Girls Are Good For" stated that girls were principally for birthing children and keeping house. [34] Due to her husband's failing health, she left journalism and succeeded her husband as head of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co., which made steel containers such as milk cans and boilers. "Pink," as she was known in childhood, was the youngest of 13 (or 15, according . [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. [21], It was not easy for Bly to be admitted to the Asylum: she first decided to check herself into a boarding house called "Temporary Homes for Females". How many siblings did Lucretia Mott have? Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. The most famous of Elizabeths stunts was her successful seventy-two-day trip around the world in 1889, for which she had two goals. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island. Quick Quiz: Around The World With Nellie Bly. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. [14] Her second article, "Mad Marriages", was about how divorce affected women. Updates? Her New York debut, at age 23, was a harrowing two-part expos of the Woman's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's (now Roosevelt) Island for which she had feigned insanity and fooled a battalion of Bellevue doctors and curious reporters from competing papers to get inside. How many siblings did Eleanor of Aquitaine have? She completed circumnavigating the world in just 72 days and recorded her travel experiences in a book titled Around the World in 72 Days. [48], Bly was the subject of the 1946 Broadway musical Nellie Bly by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. The World built up the story by running daily articles and a guessing contest in which whoever came nearest to naming Cochranes time in circling the globe would get a trip to Europe. How might Elizabeths position as a woman have helped her investigative reporting? The majority of her writings were literary works. How has Title IX impacted women in education and sports over the last 5 decades? https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/learn/women-forging-way/nellie-bly-around-the-world, Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. Blys six-part series on her experience in the asylum was called Ten Days in the Madhouse and quickly made Bly one of the most famous journalists in the country. "[22] She refused to go to bed and eventually scared so many of the other boarders that the police were called to take her to the nearby courthouse. Her reporting introduced readers to the horrors of insane asylums and to international travel. Elizabeths mother soon remarried, but quickly divorced her second husband because of abuse, and relocated the family to Pittsburgh. How many siblings did Emily Dickinson have? How many siblings did Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton have? In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the New York World, one of the leading newspapers in the country. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. After a ten-day stay at the asylum, it was at the behest of the newspaper that Bly was freed. Bernard, Karen. A misogynistic column in the daily, The Pittsburgh Dispatch, prompted her to pen a fiery rebuttal to the editor under the pseudonym Lonely Orphan Girl. Such was the impression of her writing that it won her a full-time employment with the newspaper. All Rights Reserved. [70], The Nellie Bly Amusement Park in Brooklyn, New York City, was named after her, taking as its theme Around the World in Eighty Days. [35], That same year, Iron Clad began manufacturing the steel barrel that was the model for the 55-gallon oil drum still in widespread use in the United States. She published her articles in a book titled 10 Days in A Mad House. For the same, she feigned insanity to get into the asylum and have a first-hand experience of the treatment meted out to patients. Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. Pace, Lawson. How many brothers and sisters did Abigail Adams have? The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. How many siblings did Louisa May Alcott have? [22], Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days. Her work, which was later reprinted as a book titled Ten Days in a Mad House spurred a large-scale investigation of the institution as well as the much-needed improvements in health care. Her report of the horrifyingly appalling conditions prevailing inside the asylum was an eye-opener for the general public and authorities alike. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. How many children did Laura Ingalls Wilder have? Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. Michael Cochrans rise from mill worker to mill owner to judge meant his family lived very comfortably. New-York Historical Society. How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? Bolstered by continuous coverage in the World, Bly earned international stardom for her months-long stunt, and her fame continued to grow after she safely returned to her native state and her record-setting achievement was announced. [69], The board game Round the World with Nellie Bly created in 1890 is named in recognition of her trip. In 1887 Cochrane left Pittsburgh for New York City and went to work for Joseph Pulitzers New York World. How many siblings did Emmeline Pankhurst have? It was no mere armchair observation, because Bly got herself committed . Led by New York Assistant District Attorney Vernon M. Davis, with Bly assisting, the asylum investigation resulted in significant changes in New York City's Department of Public Charities and Corrections (later split into separate agencies). Also, her 1889 record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, was a historic move for a woman at that time. [8], As a young girl, Elizabeth often was called "Pinky" because she so frequently wore that color. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". National Women's History Museum. The investigative nature of her articles and her cry for womens rights issues did not go too well with the editors of the newspaper who pushed her into the so-called women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due., Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. Taking on the pen name by which she's best known, after a Stephen Foster song, she sought to highlight the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and the importance of women's rights issues. Died: January 27, 1922, New York City, NY. After ten days, the asylum released Bly at The World's behest. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. New York: Crown, 1994. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Nellie Bly, Birth Year: 1864, Birth date: May 5, 1864, Birth State: Pennsylvania, Birth City: Cochran's Mills, Birth Country: United States. Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921-1934 and she performed in 13 films. In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. [55], Anne Helm appeared as Nellie Bly in the November 21, 1960, Tales of Wells Fargo TV episode "The Killing of Johnny Lash". Unscrupulous employees bilked the firm of hundreds of thousands of dollars, troubles compounded by protracted and costly bankruptcy litigation. [40], On January 27, 1922, Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital, New York City, aged 57. After leaving the school, she moved with her mother to the nearby city of Pittsburgh, where they ran a boarding house together. "Nellie Bly." Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. She was arrested when she was mistaken for a British spy. Though New York World continuously covered her travel diaries, it was later in 1890 that Bly published a book about the experience, titling it Around the World in 72 Days. In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center. Nellie Bly was ousted from Mexico after she ran a series of articles criticizing the Mexican dictator and ruler, Porfirio Diaz. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She met Jules Verne at his home in France. How many siblings did Rachel Carson have? In it, she argued for reform of divorce laws. In 1885, Bly began working as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Dispatch at a rate of $5 per week. [39] Bly was the first woman and one of the first foreigners to visit the war zone between Serbia and Austria. She began working for the New York Evening Journal in 1920 and reported on numerous events, including the growing womens suffrage movement. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. With her courageous and bold act, she cemented her legacy as one of the most notable journalists in history. Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Nellie Bly was famed for pioneering new investigative journalism when she worked as an undercover journalist in New York's most notorious mental institution. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. National Women's History Museum. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. Her investigation of conditions at an insane asylum sparked outrage, legal action, and improvements of the treatment of the mentally ill. The story of Nellie Bly, the pen name of a young reporter named Elizabeth Cochran, has been told and retold ever since she burst onto the scene in 1887. Elizabeths investigations brought attention to inequalities and often motivated others to take action. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). At a time when a womans contribution to a newspaper was generally confined to the womens pages, Cochrane was given a rare opportunity to report on wider issues. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. How many children did Coretta Scott King have? Now Nellie Bly is getting her due", "Young and Brave: Girls Changing History", "Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in Late Nineteenth-Century America", "Nellie Bly's Lessons in Writing What You Want To", "Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed", George Francis Train, The Bostonian Who Really Was Phileas Fogg, "Almost 100 Years After Her Death, Nellie Bly Is Back", "Nellie Bly, journalist, Dies of Pneumonia", "Industries Business History of Oil Drillers, Refiners", "Nellie Bly, Girl Reporter: Daredevil journalist", "Marching for the Vote: Remembering the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913", "Elizabeth Jane Cochran National Women's Hall of Fame", "Four Accomplished Journalists Honored on U.S. Postage Stamps", "Nellie Bly Marguerite Higgins Ethel L. Payne Ida M. Tarbell March Women's History Month Lady Journalists on Postage Stamps", "Amanda Matthews of Prometheus Art Selected to Create Monument to Journalist Nelly Bly on Roosevelt Island, Press Release", "Monument honoring journalist Nellie Bly opens: "This installation is spiritual", "New York Press Club Announces its 2020 Journalism Award Winners", "Fearless Feminist Reporter Nellie Bly Hits the Big Screen", "Judith Light hopes 'The Nellie Bly Story' will prompt mental health discussions", "All the Real-Life Scary Stories Told on American Horror Story", "Ladyghosts: The West Wing 2.05, 'And It's Surely to Their Credit', "Nellie Bly Goes Undercover at Blackwell's Island", "What Girls are Good For: Happy birthday Nellie Bly", "What Girls Are Good For - A Novel Of Nellie Bly", "Author: There's gold in them thar southern Black Hills", "The Mad Girls of New York: A Nellie Bly Novel", "New Book Gives Rebel Girls The Bedtime Tales They Deserve", "Round the world with Nellie Bly The Worlds globe circler", "Adventurer's Park Family Entertainment Center Brooklyn, NY", "The nautical adventures of the Trillium ferry in Toronto", "Ann Arbor Native David Blixt Discovered a Cache of Long Lost Novels by Journalist-Adventurer Nellie Bly", "American Woman Imprisoned in Austria; Liberated When Identified by Dr. Friedman", 10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601472, "Nellie Bly: Pioneer journalist extraordinaire", "Dislocating the Masculine: How Nellie Bly Feminised Her Reports", Library of Congress "Nellie Bly: A Resource Guide", The Daring Nellie Bly: America's Star Reporter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nellie_Bly&oldid=1141296960, Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York), Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni, Pennsylvania state historical marker significations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Elly Cochran, Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, and most commonly known as Nellie Bly as her pen-name, Information, photos and original Nellie Bly articles at, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 09:53.
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