[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. 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. 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. Nellie Bly, c. 1890. After the company suffered losses from embezzlement, Bly returned to journalism and reported from Europe during World War I. Omissions? Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. In 1888, inspired by Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Bly aimed to turn the fictional tale into reality. 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. [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 Rosalind Franklin have? 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. Although several newspapers turned down her application because she was a woman, she was eventually given the opportunity to write for Joseph Pulitzers New York World. Most of Blys early works revolved around the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and emphasized the importance of women's rights issues. Her investigation of conditions at an insane asylum sparked outrage, legal action, and improvements of the treatment of the mentally ill. 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. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. Elizabeth Cochran (she later added a final e to Cochran) received scant formal schooling. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. 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. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". In response to an article in the. 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. She died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Nellie Blys Book: Around the World in Seventy-two Days (1890) was a great popular success, and the name Nellie Bly became a synonym for a female star reporter. [17] Madden was impressed again and offered her a full-time job. Blys successful career reached new heights in 1889 when she decided to travel around the world after reading the popular book by Jules Verne, At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. [26], Back in reporting, she covered the Woman Suffrage Procession of 1913 for the New York Evening Journal. How many siblings did Lucretia Garfield have? [15] "Mad Marriages" was published under the byline of Nellie Bly, rather than "Lonely Orphan Girl". Now Nellie Bly is getting her due., Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. New-York Historical Society Library. 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. Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran (she later added an "e" to the end of her name) on May 5, 1864, in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. In conjunction with one of her first assignments for the World, she spent several days on Blackwell's Island, posing as a mental patient for an expos. Engraving. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nellie-bly-9296.php. [47], The New York Press Club confers an annual Nellie Bly Cub Reporter journalism award to acknowledge the best journalistic effort by an individual with three years or fewer of professional experience. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Michael Cochrans rise from mill worker to mill owner to judge meant his family lived very comfortably. Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. At New York, she soon found herself a job at Joseph Pulitzers newspaper, New York World. One of her early assignments was to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. 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/. But her negligence, and embezzlement by a factory manager, resulted in the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. going bankrupt. [45] The winning proposal, The Girl Puzzle by Amanda Matthews, was announced on October 16, 2019. 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). How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? How many siblings did Warren G. Harding have? In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the, Blys six-part series on her experience in the asylum was called. How many siblings did Eleanor of Aquitaine have? The show ran for 16 performances. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days,. His farm, mill, and the surrounding area became known as "Cochran's Mill" (part of a suburb of Pittsburgh). Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. How many siblings did St. Catherine of Siena have? Bly's expos, published in the World soon after her return to reality, was a massive success. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. Portrait of Nellie Bly. How many siblings did Martha Washington have? In 1880, her mother moved the family to Pittsburg, and Nellie Bly caught the eye of "The Pittsburg Dispatch" editor George Madden, when she wrote a response to the article "What Girls Are Good For." How many siblings did Angelina Grimke have? She went undercover at a factory where she experienced unsafe working conditions, poor wages, and long hours. [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. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman. How many siblings did Wilma Rudolph have? [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). [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. How many siblings did Mary Livermore have? Death date: January 27, 1922. 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. Bly not only accepted the challenge, she decided to feign mental illness to gain admission and expose firsthand how patients were treated. 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. [68], Bly is one of 100 women featured in the first version of the book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls written by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. 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. 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 . 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. One can only speculate what further triumphs and good deeds this remarkable woman might have achieved if only she lived a few years longer. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. After her return, she toured the country as a lecturer. What was nellie blys favorite color? For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. On May 5, 2015, the Google search engine produced an interactive "Google Doodle" for Bly; for the "Google Doodle" Karen O wrote, composed, and recorded an original song about Bly, and Katy Wu created an animation set to Karen O's music. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. How many siblings did Amy Carmichael have? Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. At the age of 15, she enrolled in the State Normal School in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and an added an e to her last name to sound more distinguished. She had circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone for almost the entire journey. In 1911, she returned to journalism as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. She wasn't the first woman of her time to join a newsroom, but she was certainly the most. The park reopened in 2007[71] under new management, renamed "Adventurers Amusement Park". It was initially published as a series of articles for the New York World. Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husbands Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. 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. This lesson will teach you about Nellie Bly, her adventures, her inventions, and why she wrote under a fake name! 2022. What does that mean, and how did her writing contribute to reform efforts on a variety of issues? 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. One of the protagonist's adventures in the 2003 film "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is meeting Nellie Bly (Donna Wright) on a train. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [12][11][13] The editor, George Madden, was impressed with her passion and ran an advertisement asking the author to identify herself. She was inducted as a part of the expert team launched to better the conditions prevailing at the asylum. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. copyright 2003-2023 Homework.Study.com. [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. Blys literary success proliferated when she turned the fictional tale of Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, into reality. Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. [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. She had several siblings and half-siblings. In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. Nellie Bly was born as Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, to a mill worker Michael Cochran and his wife Mary Jane. On train, ship, rickshaw, horse, and donkey . In the piece, writer Erasmus Wilson (known to Dispatch readers as the "Quiet Observer," or Q.O.) Bly followed her Blackwell's expos with similar investigative work, including editorials detailing the improper treatment of individuals in New York jails and factories, corruption in the state legislature and other first-hand accounts of malfeasance. How many brothers and sisters did Harriet Tubman have? Nellie Bly was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. How many siblings did Eleanor Roosevelt have? 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. How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? Faced with such dwindling finances, Bly consequently re-entered the newspaper industry. [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. 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 report on a mental institution from within. How many blood siblings did Queen Isabella have? Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. How many siblings did Mary Todd Lincoln have? The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Modernizing America, 1889-1920 / Modern Womanhood / Life Story: Nellie Bly. To what extent did Elizabeths trip around the world redefine ideas of what it meant to be a woman? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Nellie Bly managed to circumnavigate the world in just 72 days, eight less than Jules Verne's fictitious hero, Phileas Fogg, who inspired the feat. In early 2019, Lifetime released a thriller based on Bly's experience as an undercover reporter in a women's mental ward. Interestingly, rival newspaper New York Cosmopolitan had sent their reporter Elizabeth Bisland on a similar journey but she arrived four days later. As she became a teenager, she wanted to portray herself as more sophisticated, and she dropped the nickname and changed her surname to "Cochrane". [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 was satisfied to know that her work led to change. Kroeger, Brooke. How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. In it, she argued for reform of divorce laws. When she returned, she was again assigned to the society page and promptly quit in protest. He later became a merchant, postmaster, and associate justice at Cochran's Mills (which was named after him) in Pennsylvania. The most famous of Elizabeths stunts was her successful seventy-two-day trip around the world in 1889, for which she had two goals. She began her career in 1885 in her native Pennsylvania as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Dispatch, to which she had sent an angry letter to the editor in response to an article the newspaper had printed entitled What Girls Are Good For (not much, according to the article). New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). Elizabeths boss did not want to anger Pittsburghs elite and quickly reassigned her as a society columnist. no. How many siblings did Emmeline Pankhurst have? The editor, Joseph Pulitzer, declined that story, but he challenged Bly to investigate one of New Yorks most notorious mental asylums, Blackwells Island. [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. [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. In her first act of stunt journalism for the World, Elizabeth pretended to be mentally ill and arranged to be a patient at New Yorks insane asylum for the poor, Blackwells Island. With Christina Ricci, Judith Light, Josh Bowman, Anja Savcic. Bly crafted a fiery rebuttal that grabbed the attention of the paper's managing editor, George Madden, who, in turn, offered her a position. 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). 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. During World War I, she traveled to Europe as the first woman to report from the trenches on the front line. 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. With her courageous and bold act, she cemented her legacy as one of the most notable journalists in history. American investigative journalist (18641922), Elizabeth Cochran, "Nellie Bly," aged about 26. Elizabeths report about Blackwells Island earned her a permanent position as an investigative journalist for the World. While still working as a writer, Bly died from pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husband's Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. Bly's future began to look brighter in the early 1880s, when, at the age of 18, she submitted a racy response to an editorial piece that had been published in the Pittsburgh Dispatch. She breathed her last on January 27, 1922 at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City due to pneumonia. 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. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. 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. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). Elizabeth Jane Cochran, a.k.a. Kroeger, Brooke. American National Biography. Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. Her report of the horrifyingly appalling conditions prevailing inside the asylum was an eye-opener for the general public and authorities alike. 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. 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 In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. Updates? Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. Pace, Lawson. (New York, N.Y.), 14 Nov. 1889. 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. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. Nellie Bly, was one of fourteen siblings growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? 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. Full_Name: Elizabeth Jane Cochran. 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. The young, intrepid reporter who graced the pages of the New York World at the end of the 19th century led a busy life. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. National Women's History Museum, 2022. Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by Ian L. Munro in New York City in 1887. How many siblings does Bessie Coleman have? Upon her husbands death in 1904, Bly took the helm of his Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. During her time there, she began manufacturing the first practical 55-gallon steel oil drum, which evolved into the standard one used today. Nellie's father was a successful businessman and a good parent to Nellie and her four siblings. Her report on the horrifyingly conditions inside the asylum led to numerous reforms in the living condition of the mental patients. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Unidentified African American woman in uniform, 1861. How might Elizabeths position as a woman have helped her investigative reporting? 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. 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. 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. Her favorite color is pink. 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. Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921-1934 and she performed in 13 films. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The students will discuss diversity within the economics profession and in the federal government, and the functions of the Federal Reserve System and U. S. monetary policy, by reviewing a historic timeline and analyzing the acts of Janet Yellen. [22], Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. [7] Michael Cochran died in 1870, when Elizabeth was 6. How many children did Catherine Parr have? Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html. How many siblings did James Meredith 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. 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. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. A steam tug named after Bly served as a fireboat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. How many siblings did Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton have? Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. Read free previews and reviews from booklovers. [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. Oil on canvas. Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist, World Traveler. Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. [15] In one report, she protested the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticizing the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Daz. Her reporting introduced readers to the horrors of insane asylums and to international travel. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. [69], The board game Round the World with Nellie Bly created in 1890 is named in recognition of her trip. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. Unscrupulous employees bilked the firm of hundreds of thousands of dollars, troubles compounded by protracted and costly bankruptcy litigation. [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 covered a number of national news stories, including the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth often referred to suffrage in her articles, arguing that women were as capable as men in all things. 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. Ten Days in the Madhouse. on New Yorks ills, such as corruption in the state legislature, unscrupulous employment agencies for domestic workers, and the black market for buying infants. She became one the leading women industrialists in the US and was the inventor of a novel milk can and a stacking garbage can, holding the patents for both. Her time was 72 days 6 hours 11 minutes 14 seconds. READ MORE: Inside Nellie Blys 10 Days in a Madhouse. How many siblings did Queen Liliuokalani have? Pace, Lawson. Her report was compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), and led to lasting institutional reforms.