OR

source:wikipedia.org
05 May, 1864
27 Jan, 1922
Pneumonia
American
Journalist
57
Nellie Bly was a leading American journalist, industrialist, and social reformer who was best known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days and her undercover investigation of a mental asylum.
Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Pennsylvania. Bly was among the first children of Micheal Cochran with his second wife, Mary Jane Kennedy. Bly lost her father at the young age of 6. As a young girl, she was nicknamed Pink because she frequently wore anything that color.
As a teenager, Bly wanted to portray herself as more sophisticated, and dropped the nickname and changed her surname to “Cochrane.”
Bly was briefly enrolled at Indiana Normal School before she dropped out due to lack of funds.
Bly began her journalism career at a young age and wrote about various social issues such as women’s rights, labor conditions, and poverty.
She moved to New York City in 1887 and joined the New York World where she gained prominence due to her daring and sensational reporting style.
One of her most famous investigations was when she feigned insanity to get herself committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. During her stay there, she exposed the abuse and neglect of the patients by the staff. Her articles resulted in massive public outcry which forced the asylum to reform itself.
She became inspired by Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in Eighty Days” in 1889 and embarked on her own journey around the world. She used various modes of transport to travel between countries and continents and completed her trip in just 72 days setting a new world record at that time.
Bly married Robert Seaman in 1895 and became the president of his company, Iron Clad Manufacturing Co., after his death in 1904. She introduced many changes in the company such as better working conditions, employee benefits, and safety measures.
She passed away in 1922 at the age of 57.
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly
Female
Pneumonia
Burrell Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
New York City, U.S.
Advocate: Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists. Nellie Bly was able to focus on the things that mattered to her. This helped her a lot during her career as a journalist.
Bly became the first woman to report from World War I’s Eastern Front.
She travelled around the world in just 72 days.
Nellie Bly had 14 other siblings.
She went undercover as a mentally ill patient inside a psychiatric hospital
She changed her name three times.
She started her career in journalism after writing a letter to the editor
Nellie Bly was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1998
She travelled around the world in 72 days