Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husband's Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. By Barbara Maranzani Updated: Nov 12, 2020. Nellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. How many siblings did Molly Pitcher have? How many sisters did Martha Washington have? [14] It was customary for women who were newspaper writers at that time to use pen names. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. Jarena Lee, 1849. Her mother remarried but divorced in 1878 due to abuse. She moved back to Pittsburgh to help her mother run a boarding house. ", Lutes, Jean Marie. "Bly, Nellie (1864-1922), reporter and manufacturer. Bly crafted a fiery rebuttal that grabbed the attention of the paper's managing editor, George Madden, who, in turn, offered her a position. How many siblings did Marie Antoinette have? For a time, she was one of the leading women industrialists in the United States. [33] Bly was 31 and Seaman was 73 when they married. With an attempt to break the faux record of the character of Phileas Fogg, Bly began her 24, 899 mile journey on November 14, 1889, boarding the Augusta Victoria. Ten Days in the Madhouse. How many siblings did Victoria Woodhull have? How many siblings did Elizabeth Cady Stanton have? 2022. Nicols Enrquez de Vargas (artist), Portrait of Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, ca. After her ten-days-in-a-madhouse stunt and her circumnavigation of the globefeats that would make her a household nameshe went on to do many other things. Women in Art and Literature: Who Said It? Returning to Pittsburgh, she temporarily continued working for The Pittsburgh Dispatch before leaving for New York City in 1887. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. To what extent did Elizabeths trip around the world redefine ideas of what it meant to be a woman? After her return, she toured the country as a lecturer. 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. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. How many children did Catherine Parr have? Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. How many siblings did Mary Livermore have? Her expos of conditions among the patients, published in the World and later collected in Ten Days in a Mad House (1887), precipitated a grand-jury investigation of the asylum and helped bring about needed improvements in patient care. She was inducted as a part of the expert team launched to better the conditions prevailing at the asylum. 1. Amid their grief, Michael's death presented a grave financial detriment to his family, as he left them without a will, and, thus, no legal claim to his estate. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. How many siblings did Cleopatra VII have? https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Nellie Bly, Social Welfare History Project - Biography of Nellie Bly, The MY HERO Project - Biography of Nellie Bly, National Women's History Museum - Biography of Nellie Bly, Nellie Bly - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Nellie Blys Book: Around the World in Seventy-two Days. [60], Bly has been featured as the protagonist of novels by David Blixt,[61] Marshall Goldberg,[62] Dan Jorgensen,[63] Carol McCleary,[64] Pearry Reginald Teo, Maya Rodale,[65] and Christine Converse. [69], The board game Round the World with Nellie Bly created in 1890 is named in recognition of her trip. Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 - January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne 's fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an expos in which she worked undercover to [36], Bly was, however, an inventor in her own right, receiving U.S. Patent 697,553 for a novel milk can and U.S. Patent 703,711 for a stacking garbage can, both under her married name of Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. Biography: You Need to Know: Agness Underwood. How many brothers and sisters did Abigail Adams have? How many siblings did Coretta Scott King have? A young journalist looks behind the curtain of a nearby mental hospital, only to uncover the grim and gruesome acts they bestow upon their "patients". Furthermore, her hands-on approach to reporting developed into a practice now called investigative journalism. Conduct a close examination of. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. It was there that she added an e to her last name, becoming Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. National Women's History Museum. How many siblings did James Meredith have? Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. How many siblings did Martha Washington have? [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 Shirley Chisholm have? We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921-1934 and she performed in 13 films. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. The Sibling Society The Sibling Society Reconsidering the Siblings, a Critical Study of Robert Bly's The Sibling Society The Sibling Society Mirabai Iron John Leaping Poetry A Little Book on the Human Shadow Morning Poems The Teeth-Mother Naked at Last Growing Yourself Back Up Talking Into the . [14] Her second article, "Mad Marriages", was about how divorce affected women. National Women's History Museum, 2022. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. 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. 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. Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by Ian L. Munro in New York City in 1887. [1] She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. She lived there as an international correspondent for the Dispatch for six months. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days,. "Bly, Nellie (1864-1922), reporter and manufacturer." [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. At a time when women reporters were generally restricted to womens page reporting, Bly covered wider issues beyond just gardening or lifestyle and concentrated on slum life and other important topics. In 188687 she traveled for several months through Mexico, sending back reports on official corruption and the condition of the poor. In 1887, Bly relocated to New York City and began working for the New York World, the publication that later became famously known for spearheading "yellow journalism." The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America. American Quarterly, 54 no 2. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. 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. Similar reportorial gambits took her into sweatshops, jails, and the legislature (where she exposed bribery in the lobbyist system). [26], Back in reporting, she covered the Woman Suffrage Procession of 1913 for the New York Evening Journal. How many siblings did Dorothy Height have? Nellie Bly left New York for France on November 14, 1889. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. Nellie Bly's stint in the facility wasn't necessarily how she envisioned making a name for herself. One of the protagonist's adventures in the 2003 film "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is meeting Nellie Bly (Donna Wright) on a train. Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds, setting a new world record. [28] Bly's journey was a world record, though it only stood for a few months, until George Francis Train completed the journey in 67 days.[31]. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. 1893-1894. [66] David Blixt also appeared on a March 10, 2021 episode of the podcast Broads You Should Know as a Nellie Bly expert. How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Blys family left Cochran's Mill. On train, ship, rickshaw, horse, and donkey . [74] From early in the twentieth century until 1961, the Pennsylvania Railroad operated an express train named the Nellie Bly on a route between New York and Atlantic City, bypassing Philadelphia. [20] Penniless after four months, she talked her way into the offices of Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper the New York World and took an undercover assignment for which she agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island, now named Roosevelt Island. The most famous of Elizabeths stunts was her successful seventy-two-day trip around the world in 1889, for which she had two goals. Bly died of pneumonia at the age of 57 in 1922. Michael had 10 children with his first wife, and he had 5 children with his second wife. One can only speculate what further triumphs and good deeds this remarkable woman might have achieved if only she lived a few years longer. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. Nellie Bly died of pneumonia when she was 57. How many siblings did St. Catherine of Siena have? There have been claims that Bly invented the barrel,[35] but the inventor was registered as Henry Wehrhahn (U.S. For the first 20 or so years of her life, Nellie Bly was known not as Nellie, nor as Elizabeth Jane Cochran, which was her birth name, but as "Pink," due to her fondness for the color, according to New World Encyclopedia. This prompted Elizabeth to write a response under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl". 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. During World War I, she traveled to Europe as the first woman to report from the trenches on the front line. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. 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. Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. Pace, Lawson. The second-season episode "New York City" featured her undercover exploits in the Blackwell's Island asylum,[58] while the third-season episode "Journalism" retold the story of her race around the world against Elizabeth Bisland.[59]. Although Elizabeth never regained the level of stardom she experienced after her trip around the world, she continued to use her writing to shed light on issues of the day. Watch Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story on Lifetime Movie Club. [citation needed] Julia Duffy appeared as Bly in the July 10, 1983 Voyagers! A steam tug named after Bly served as a fireboat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "Pink Cochrane" was a great name, but almost every woman journalist writing in the 19th century used a pseudonym. Bly continued to produce regular exposs on New Yorks ills, such as corruption in the state legislature, unscrupulous employment agencies for domestic workers, and the black market for buying infants. Ultimately, the costs of these benefits began to mount and drain her inheritance. How many siblings did Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton have? 2022. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly. 1985.212. When Elizabeth Cochran began in journalism in 1885, it was considered inappropriate for a woman to write under her own name. Pace, Lawson. Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. After ten days, the asylum released Bly at The World's behest. "On the species of Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901 deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, with redescriptions of type material, the first record of P. grandis Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008 from Peru, and the description of four new species". What might she have been able to do that men could not? [11], Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. Her mother was from a wealthy Pittsburgh family. [38], Bly wrote stories on Europe's Eastern Front during World War I. In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. [17] Madden was impressed again and offered her a full-time job. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mill, Pennsylvania. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1889-11-14/ed-3/seq-1/, By: Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow; Updated by: Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Womens History | 2020-2022. How many siblings did Zora Neale Hurston have? In 1885, Elizabeth read an article in the Pittsburgh Dispatch that argued a womans place was in the home, to be a helpmate to a man. She strongly disagreed with this opinion and sent an angry letter to the editor anonymously signed Lonely Orphan Girl.. American investigative journalist (18641922), Elizabeth Cochran, "Nellie Bly," aged about 26. Nellie Bly Wikipedia. How many siblings did Frances Hodgson Burnett have? As a child she wore it so often she was nicknamed Pinky. The town was founded by her father, Michael Cochran, who provided for his family by working as a judge and landowner. Brief Life History of Jonathan J [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). "Pink," as she was known in childhood, was the youngest of 13 (or 15, according . Her illustrious career also included a headline-making journey around the world, running an oil manufacturing firm, and reporting on World War I from Europe. 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. New-York Historical Society. After a ten-day stay at the asylum, it was at the behest of the newspaper that Bly was freed. (New York, N.Y.), 14 Nov. 1889. Nellie Bly, pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane, also spelled Cochran, (born May 5, 1864, Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, U.S.died January 27, 1922, New York, New York), American journalist whose around-the-world race against a fictional record brought her world renown. The show ran for 16 performances. In 2015, director Timothy Hines released 10 Days in a Madhouse, which also depicts Bly's harrowing experience in the asylum. Omissions? Death date: January 27, 1922. She was six years old when her beloved father died without warning, and without a will, plunging his once wealthy and respected family into poverty and shame. (June 2002) 217-253. Due to the familys financial struggles, she left the school after one term and soon moved with her mother to Pittsburgh, where her two older brothers had settled. She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City. All Rights Reserved. Elizabeth is often described as a muckraker. [57], Bly has been the subject of two episodes of the Comedy Central series Drunk History. Cochran's Mills, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story, An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster, "She went undercover to expose an insane asylum's horrors. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. She recounted her adventures in her final book, Around the World in 72 Days. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? 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. New-York Historical Society Library. Elizabeth hoped the massive newspaper industry of New York City would be more open-minded to a female journalist and left Pittsburgh. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. But Bly was hopeless at understanding the financial aspects of her business and ultimately lost everything. What was nellie blys favorite color? Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Elizabeth had fourteen siblings. Nellie Bly was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. Nellie Bly Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. The first chapters of Eva The Adventuress, based on the real-life trial of Eva Hamilton, appeared in print before Bly returned to New York. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. Cochrans editor chose the name Nelly Bly from a Stephen Foster song. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 (age 57) in Burrell, Pennsylvania, United States She is a celebrity journalist She also covered major stories like the march of Jacob Coxeys Army on Washington, D.C. and the Pullman strike in Chicago, both of which were 1894 protests in favor of workers rights. The town was founded by her father, Judge Michael Cochran. Died: January 27, 1922, New York City, NY. How many children did Catherine of Aragon have? [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. 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. Ten Days in a Mad-House was a raging success and brought Nellie Bly immense fame and recognition as a writer and civil rights activist. In response to an article in the Pittsburg[h] Dispatch that criticized the presence of women in the workforce, Bly penned an open letter to the editor that called for more opportunities for women, especially those responsible for the financial wellbeing of their families. Kroeger, Brooke. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. She used the pen name Nellie Bly, which she took from a well-known song at the time, Nelly Bly. Bly was a popular columnist, but she was limited to writing pieces that only addressed women and soon quit in dissatisfaction. Elizabeths mother soon remarried, but quickly divorced her second husband because of abuse, and relocated the family to Pittsburgh. Seaman died in 1904. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Michael married twice. In 1888, inspired by Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Bly aimed to turn the fictional tale into reality. While in charge of the company, Bly put her social reforms into action and Iron Clad employees enjoyed several perks unheard of at the time, including fitness gyms, libraries and healthcare. ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE; AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP, Major support for Women & the American Story provided by, Lead support for New-York Historicals teacher programs provided by. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. There were nearly one million entries in the contest. After the company suffered losses from embezzlement, Bly returned to journalism and reported from Europe during World War I. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. Date accessed. [15] In one report, she protested the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticizing the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Daz. She had several siblings and half-siblings. [67], A fictionalized account of Bly's around-the-world trip was used in the 2010 comic book Julie Walker Is The Phantom published by Moonstone Books (Story: Elizabeth Massie, art: Paul Daly, colors: Stephen Downer). Nellie Blys first major work as a reporter was when she did the asylum expose for New York World. Her work Ten Days in a Mad House was a phenomenal success and won her great acclaim. Updates? [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. 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. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America., Nellie Bly PBS: American Experience, Accessed 23 March 23, 2017, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/world/peopleevents/pande01.html. 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 Emmeline Pankhurst have? Astrological Sign: Taurus, Death Year: 1922, Death date: January 27, 1922, Death State: New York, Death City: New York, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Nellie Bly Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/activist/nellie-bly, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: April 19, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. However, not long after beginning her courses there, financial constraints forced Bly to table her hopes for higher education. Elizabeth positioned herself as an investigative reporter. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mill, Pennsylvania. In 1880, the family moved to Pittsburgh where Elizabeth supported her single mother by running a boarding house. [32] In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the World. She told him about her plans to travel alone by train and ship around the world. Her father had ten children from his first marriage and five children from his second marriage to Elizabeths mother, Mary Jane Kennedy. Nellie was born on May 5, 1864 in a city called Cochran's Millis in the United States. 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. Though most of her works were based on throwing light at the appalling condition of women in the society, and the need to uplift them, she is best remembered for her work on an asylum expos in 1887 in which she faked insanity to get into a mental asylum and reported about the horrific condition of the mental patients. He had 10 children with his first wife, Catherine Murphy, and 5 more children, including Elizabeth Cochran his thirteenth daughter, with his second wife, Mary Jane Kennedy. Lib. But Bly held the record for only a few months before it was broken by businessman George Francis Train who completed the journey in 67 days. Nellie Bly married manufacturer Robert Seaman in 1895. Nellie Bly Baker (September 7, 1893 - October 12, 1984) was an American actress active in the silent film era and early talkies, mostly playing minor roles. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nellie-bly-9296.php. [54] A fictionalized version of Bly as a mouse named Nellie Brie appears as a central character in the animated children's film An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster. She is also well-known for making a trip around the world for a record 72 days, beating a fictitious record that had been set by . It was for the Dispatch that she began using the pen name Nellie Bly, borrowed from a popular Stephen Foster song. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. Her report, published 9 October 1887[23] and later in book form as Ten Days in a Mad-House, caused a sensation, prompted the asylum to implement reforms, and brought her lasting fame. The New York World completely supported her ambitious feat. The majority of her writings were literary works. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 secondssetting a real-world record, despite her fictional inspiration for the undertaking. Nellie Bly was an unwavering advocate for social change, a journalistic dynamo, and a force of nature.
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