After ten days, the asylum released Bly at The World's behest. "Nellie Bly." 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. There have been claims that Bly invented the barrel,[35] but the inventor was registered as Henry Wehrhahn (U.S. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. 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. How many sisters did Ernest Shackleton have? Bernard, Karen. Elizabeths boss did not want to anger Pittsburghs elite and quickly reassigned her as a society columnist. However, Bly became increasingly limited in her work at the Pittsburgh Dispatch after her editors moved her to its women's page, and she aspired to find a more meaningful career. How many siblings did Victoria Woodhull have? She also interviewed and wrote pieces on several prominent figures of the time, including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony. Young Elizabeth attended boarding school but just for a term before dropping out due to insufficient funds. 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. One of Bly's earliest assignments was to author a piece detailing the experiences endured by patients of the infamous mental institution on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island) in New York City. It was there that she added an e to her last name, becoming Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. Portrait of Nellie Bly. [4][5][6] Her father, Michael Cochran, born about 1810, started out as a laborer and mill worker before buying the local mill and most of the land surrounding his family farmhouse. However, he also misspelled the name, and she became Nellie Bly.. [29][30] During her travels around the world, Bly went through England, France (where she met Jules Verne in Amiens), Brindisi, the Suez Canal, Colombo (in Ceylon), the Straits Settlements of Penang and Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. She was satisfied to know that her work led to change. On train, ship, rickshaw, horse, and donkey . [66] David Blixt also appeared on a March 10, 2021 episode of the podcast Broads You Should Know as a Nellie Bly expert. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. 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. She left the newspaper industry after her marriage to serve as the president of her husbands company, Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. As a social reformer she gave over-the-top perks to her employees but the scheme cost the company so dearly that it went bankrupt. How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? But Bly was hopeless at understanding the financial aspects of her business and ultimately lost everything. 1750. National Women's History Museum. [17] Madden was impressed again and offered her a full-time job. [11], As a writer, Nellie Bly focused her early work for the Pittsburgh Dispatch on the lives of working women, writing a series of investigative articles on women factory workers. How many siblings did Marie Antoinette have? History 101: Nellie Bly. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. How many siblings did Althea Gibson have? Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. In an effort to accurately expose the conditions at the asylum, she pretended to be a mental patient in order to be committed to the facility, .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}where she lived for 10 days. Interestingly, rival newspaper New York Cosmopolitan had sent their reporter Elizabeth Bisland on a similar journey but she arrived four days later. 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. In her later years, Bly returned to journalism, covering World War I from Europe and continuing to shed light on major issues that impacted women. One can only speculate what further triumphs and good deeds this remarkable woman might have achieved if only she lived a few years longer. July 28, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/28/she-went-undercover-expose-an-insane-asylums-horrors-now-nellie-bly-is-getting-her-due/. On the final lap of her journey, the World transported her from San Francisco to New York by special train; she was greeted everywhere by brass bands, fireworks, and like panoply. For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. How many siblings did Dorothy Height have? Kroeger, Brooke. How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? 1985.212. 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. Most of Blys early works revolved around the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and emphasized the importance of women's rights issues. 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 After her return, she toured the country as a lecturer. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY. "[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. How many siblings did Queen Elizabeth I have? siblings: Harry Cummings Cochrane. The show ran for 16 performances. Best Known For: Nellie Bly was known for her pioneering journalism, including her 1887 expos on the conditions of asylum patients at Blackwell's Island in New York City and her report of her 72-day trip around the world. Elizabeth too began writing under the pen name Nellie Bly after the Stephen Foster song. How many siblings did Amy Carmichael have? Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. McLoughlin Bros., Round the World with Nellie Bly, 1890. The most famous of Elizabeths stunts was her successful seventy-two-day trip around the world in 1889, for which she had two goals. Quick Quiz: Around The World With Nellie Bly. Furthermore, her hands-on approach to reporting developed into a practice now called investigative journalism. Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. Cochrans editor chose the name Nelly Bly from a Stephen Foster song. 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. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days. Unidentified African American woman in uniform, 1861. Chien-shiung Wu (1912-1997), professor of physics at Columbia University, 1963. [15] "Mad Marriages" was published under the byline of Nellie Bly, rather than "Lonely Orphan Girl". Similar reportorial gambits took her into sweatshops, jails, and the legislature (where she exposed bribery in the lobbyist system). How many siblings did St. Catherine of Siena have? Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story: Directed by Karen Moncrieff. Wanting to write pieces that addressed both men and women, Bly began looking for a newspaper that would allow her to write on more serious topics. She also became renowned for her investigative and undercover reporting, including posing as a sweatshop worker to expose poor working conditions faced by women. In 1888, Bly suggested to her editor at the New York World that she take a trip around the world, attempting to turn the fictional Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) into fact for the first time. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. She was 57 years of age. His farm, mill, and the surrounding area became known as "Cochran's Mill" (part of a suburb of Pittsburgh). The reporter known as Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, where her father was a mill owner and county judge. 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. The New York World completely supported her ambitious feat. She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922). 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. [24] She had a significant impact on American culture and shed light on the experiences of marginalized women beyond the bounds of the asylum as she ushered in the era of stunt girl journalism. 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. Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. 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. Kroeger, Brooke. The stunt made her famous. National Women's History Museum. How many siblings did Molly Pitcher have? Michael had 10 children with his first wife and five more with Mary Jane, who had no prior children. 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. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. Lutes, Jean Marie. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. How many siblings did Ruth Bader Ginsburg have? How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? no. Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. [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). ", Lutes, Jean Marie. How many sisters did Susan B. Anthony have? [43][44], In 2019, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation put out an open call for artists to create a Nellie Bly Memorial art installation on Roosevelt Island. [7] Michael Cochran died in 1870, when Elizabeth was 6. (New York, N.Y.), 14 Nov. 1889. 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. 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. [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]. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. How many siblings did Shirley Chisholm have? Shortly after her first article was published, Elizabeth changed her pseudonym from Lonely Orphan Girl to Nellie Bly, after a popular song. She published all of her works as Elizabeth Bisland . [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. world attention to journalist Nellie Bly with his 1890. Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, 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. She was a pioneer in investigative journalism. In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. 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. 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. Bly died of pneumonia at the age of 57 in 1922. [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. How many siblings did Emily Dickinson have? And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. [40], On January 27, 1922, Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital, New York City, aged 57. [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. Feb. 1, 2000; Accessed April 27, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601472. Death date: January 27, 1922. Bly accomplished her goal with days to spare, and, as with her experience in the asylum, her report became a book, Around the World in Seventy-Two Days (1890). New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. She only attended one year of boarding school, because the financial burden placed on the family following her father's death forced her to quit school. How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? Nellie Bly, pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane, also spelled Cochran, (born May 5, 1864, Cochrans 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. Her honest reporting about the horrors of workers lives attracted negative attention from local factory owners. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Christina Ricci starred as Bly and Transparent's Judith Light played the role of the head nurse. Michael married twice. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. In 188687 she traveled for several months through Mexico, sending back reports on official corruption and the condition of the poor. During World War I, she traveled to Europe as the first woman to report from the trenches on the front line. 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. As was the trend then, women writers wrote under pen names. Her report was compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), and led to lasting institutional reforms. It was initially published as a series of articles for the New York World. In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the, Blys six-part series on her experience in the asylum was called. Bly went on to gain more fame in 1889, when she traveled around the world in an attempt to break the faux record of Phileas Fogg, the fictional title character of Jules Verne's 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. 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. 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 completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 secondssetting a real-world record, despite her fictional inspiration for the undertaking. Died: January 27, 1922, New York City, NY. Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. One of her first undertakings for that paper was to get herself committed to the asylum on Blackwells (now Roosevelt) Island by feigning insanity. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. 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. She was one of 15 children. [39] Bly was the first woman and one of the first foreigners to visit the war zone between Serbia and Austria. Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. How many siblings did Eleanor of Aquitaine have? How many siblings did Elizabeth Blackwell have? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. episode "Jack's Back". 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. "Pink Cochrane" was a great name, but almost every woman journalist writing in the 19th century used a pseudonym. How many siblings did Catherine of Aragon have? Madden offered her an opportunity to write another column, and after she submitted her column on how divorce affects women, he hired her for the newspaper (giving her the pseudonym Nellie Bly). Nellie Bly's stint in the facility wasn't necessarily how she envisioned making a name for herself. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 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. How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? How many brothers and sisters did Ella Baker have? 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 . She had circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone for almost the entire journey. Updates? [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. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. Nellie Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, travelling first by ship but later by other vehicles. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. She breathed her last on January 27, 1922 at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City due to pneumonia. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music.