The town was founded by her father, Judge Michael Cochran. Her world tour made her a celebrity. 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. How many brothers and sisters did Amelia Earhart have? Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. She went undercover at a factory where she experienced unsafe working conditions, poor wages, and long hours. Shortly after her first article was published, Elizabeth changed her pseudonym from Lonely Orphan Girl to Nellie Bly, after a popular song. [1] She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. of Congress. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds, setting a new world record. 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). Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. READ MORE: Inside Nellie Blys 10 Days in a Madhouse. She began working for the New York Evening Journal in 1920 and reported on numerous events, including the growing womens suffrage movement. How many siblings did James Meredith have? [39] Bly was the first woman and one of the first foreigners to visit the war zone between Serbia and Austria. How many siblings did Emmeline Pankhurst have? Bly switched back to reporting, later on writing stories on Europe's Eastern Front during World War I and the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913. 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. 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. "Pink Cochrane" was a great name, but almost every woman journalist writing in the 19th century used a pseudonym. Pace, Lawson. She was arrested when she was mistaken for a British spy. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. Following her superlative success with the Blackwell expose, she continued with her investigative series of work, exposing improper treatment in New York jails and factories, corruption in state legislature and so on. She often exposed the poor working conditions faced by women. Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee: giving an account of her call to preach the gospel, frontispiece. She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days. As a child she wore it so often she was nicknamed Pinky. When Elizabeth Cochran began in journalism in 1885, it was considered inappropriate for a woman to write under her own name. By Barbara Maranzani Updated: Nov 12, 2020. Nellie Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, travelling first by ship but later by other vehicles. Bly looked for work to help support her family, but found fewer opportunities than her less-educated brothers. Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum. What does that mean, and how did her writing contribute to reform efforts on a variety of issues? 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. 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. 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. However, the newspaper soon received complaints from factory owners about her writing, and she was reassigned to women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening, the usual role for women journalists, and she became dissatisfied. [12][11][13] The editor, George Madden, was impressed with her passion and ran an advertisement asking the author to identify herself. Her article's headline was "Suffragists Are Men's Superiors" and in its text she accurately predicted that it would be 1920 before women in the United States would be given the right to vote. Safely home, she accused Daz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press. "Nellie Bly." In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. It was one of the few things that helped set her apart from her 14 siblings. Read free previews and reviews from booklovers. Her report of the horrifyingly appalling conditions prevailing inside the asylum was an eye-opener for the general public and authorities alike. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. Lutes, Jean Marie. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? How many sisters did Ernest Shackleton have? Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). 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. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. Her mother was from a wealthy Pittsburgh family. Bly told the assistant matron: "There are so many crazy people about, and one can never tell what they will do. [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. 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. [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. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. episode "Jack's Back". Returning to Pittsburgh, she temporarily continued working for The Pittsburgh Dispatch before leaving for New York City in 1887. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. [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. To escape writing about womens issues on the society page, Elizabeth volunteered to travel to Mexico. [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. 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. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html. Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. world attention to journalist Nellie Bly with his She was one of 15 children. All rights reserved. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? The editor, Joseph Pulitzer, declined that story, but he challenged Bly to investigate one of New Yorks most notorious mental asylums, Blackwells Island. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. [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. Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. 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. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. 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). In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the, Blys six-part series on her experience in the asylum was called. 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. Full_Name: Elizabeth Jane Cochran. How many siblings did Shirley Chisholm have? 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. [15] "Mad Marriages" was published under the byline of Nellie Bly, rather than "Lonely Orphan Girl". Nellie Bly gained international stardom for her world tour stunt that multiplied her fame. 1. She also interviewed influential and controversial figures, including Emma Goldman in 1893. 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/. 10 Days in a Madhouse: Directed by Timothy Hines. Elizabeth had fourteen siblings. Her plan was to graduate and find a position as a teacher. Blys literary success proliferated when she turned the fictional tale of Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, into reality. 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]. Died: January 27, 1922, New York City, NY. [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. How many children did Coretta Scott King have? She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. McLoughlin Bros., Round the World with Nellie Bly, 1890. The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. (June 2002) 217-253. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. However, not long after beginning her courses there, financial constraints forced Bly to table her hopes for higher education. 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. As few copies of the paper survived, these novels were thought lost until 2021, when author David Blixt announced their discovery, found in Munro's British weekly The London Story Paper. [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. 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. [38], Bly wrote stories on Europe's Eastern Front during World War I. Elizabeths report about Blackwells Island earned her a permanent position as an investigative journalist for the World. [1] [2] She died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. 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. Nellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. She was satisfied to know that her work led to change. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The evening world. First, she wanted to beat the record set in the popular fictional world tour from Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days. The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. With her courageous and bold act, she cemented her legacy as one of the most notable journalists in history. In 1911, she returned to journalism as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. 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. Nellie (her pen name) is the best known of these children, and there is not much information about her 14 siblings. Nicols Enrquez de Vargas (artist), Portrait of Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, ca. 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. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due., Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. It was for the Dispatch that she began using the pen name Nellie Bly, borrowed from a popular Stephen Foster song. [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. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? 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. 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. 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. How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? Date accessed. How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? 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. 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. National Women's History Museum, 2022. Oil on canvas. [41], In 1998, Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 (age 57) in Burrell, Pennsylvania, United States She is a celebrity journalist Nellie Bly was an unwavering advocate for social change, a journalistic dynamo, and a force of nature. Kroeger, Brooke. 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. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Corrections? How many siblings did August Wilson have? The newspapers editor, George A. Madden, was so impressed with the letter that he published a note asking the Lonely Orphan Girl to reveal her name. She had circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone for almost the entire journey. How many siblings did Coretta Scott King 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. [citation needed] Julia Duffy appeared as Bly in the July 10, 1983 Voyagers! Nellie Bly became a star journalist by going undercover as a patient at a New York City mental health asylum in 1887 and exposing its terrible conditions in the New York World. Bernard, Karen. [33] Bly was 31 and Seaman was 73 when they married. In 1895, Bly married millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. The young, intrepid reporter who graced the pages of the New York World at the end of the 19th century led a busy life. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Just two years after reviving her writing career, on January 27, 1922, Bly died from pneumonia in New York City. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Bly crafted a fiery rebuttal that grabbed the attention of the paper's managing editor, George Madden, who, in turn, offered her a position. New-York Historical Society Library. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. Nellie Bly PBS: American Experience, Accessed 23 March 23, 2017 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/world/peopleevents/pande01.html, Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum, https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/nellie-bly/. Elizabeth knew that she would need to support herself financially. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Engraving. Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. When she returned, she was again assigned to the society page and promptly quit in protest. 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. Michael Cochrans rise from mill worker to mill owner to judge meant his family lived very comfortably. A number of positive changes were made after the release of the book. Elizabeth is often described as a muckraker. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY. [32] In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the World. Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. Search results for "The Babysitter Chronicles" at Rakuten Kobo. How many siblings did Lucretia Mott have? Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? She had several siblings and half-siblings. 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. [11], Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. When Robert died in 1904, Elizabeth briefly took over as president of his companies. How many sisters did Martha Washington have? How many sisters did Charles Dickens have? She recounted her adventures in her final book, Around the World in 72 Days. Given the green light to try the feat by the New York World, Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, in November 1889, traveling first by ship and later also via horse, rickshaw, sampan, burro and other vehicles. 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. Michael Cochran began his career in the mills outside Pittsburgh, until he was able to earn enough to buy the mill. For a time, she was one of the leading women industrialists in the United States. Bly's expos, published in the World soon after her return to reality, was a massive success. [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. Her father had ten children from his first marriage and five children from his second marriage to Elizabeths mother, Mary Jane Kennedy. Print Page Nellie Bly Nellie Bly, c. 1890. What might she have been able to do that men could not? 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." Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. How many siblings did Warren G. Harding have?