In 1888, inspired by Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Bly aimed to turn the fictional tale into reality. Unfortunately, he died when Elizabeth was only six years old and his fortune was divided among his many children, leaving Elizabeths mother and her children with a small fraction of the wealth they once enjoyed. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. She was 57 years of age. Portrait of Nellie Bly. The articles were subsequently collected in Six Months in Mexico (1888). In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. 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. Print Page Nellie Bly Nellie Bly, c. 1890. Ultimately, the costs of these benefits began to mount and drain her inheritance. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Blys family left Cochran's Mill. 1893-1894. With Christina Ricci, Judith Light, Josh Bowman, Anja Savcic. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The stunt made her famous. Bly looked for work to help support her family, but found fewer opportunities than her less-educated brothers. University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center. How many siblings did Frances Hodgson Burnett have? Elizabeth Jane Cochran, a.k.a. Bly crafted a fiery rebuttal that grabbed the attention of the paper's managing editor, George Madden, who, in turn, offered her a position. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. American investigative journalist (18641922), Elizabeth Cochran, "Nellie Bly," aged about 26. 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. 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. Conduct a close examination of. [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]. Date accessed. 10 Days in a Madhouse: Directed by Timothy Hines. She wasn't the first woman of her time to join a newsroom, but she was certainly the most. Elizabeth had fourteen siblings. How many brothers and sisters did Theodore Roosevelt have? Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. To escape writing about womens issues on the society page, Elizabeth volunteered to travel to Mexico. 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. 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. She published her articles in a book titled 10 Days in A Mad House. 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. 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. Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husbands Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. Combine Elizabeth Cochranes life story with the life stories of, Connect Elizabeth Cochranes work to that of fellow muckraker, Elizabeth Cochrane was one of many Americans who fought to eradicate what she perceived as the evils of modern life. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? [45] The winning proposal, The Girl Puzzle by Amanda Matthews, was announced on October 16, 2019. Thought lost, these novels were not collected in book form until their re-discovery in 2021.[75]. Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. At a time when a womans contribution to a newspaper was generally confined to the womens pages, Cochrane was given a rare opportunity to report on wider issues. The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. As a child she wore it so often she was nicknamed Pinky. 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). A steam tug named after Bly served as a fireboat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her report was compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), and led to lasting institutional reforms. 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. 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." Bly continued to publish influential pieces of journalism, including interviews with prominent individuals like anarchist activist and writer Emma Goldman and socialist politician and labor organizer Eugene V. Debs. At the . [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. [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. New-York Historical Society Library. Full_Name: Elizabeth Jane Cochran. How many siblings did Wilma Rudolph have? Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. A year later, at 9:40a.m. on November 14, 1889, and with two days' notice,[27][clarification needed] she boarded the Augusta Victoria, a steamer of the Hamburg America Line,[28] and began her 40,070 kilometer journey. 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. Ten Days in the Madhouse. 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. In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the New York World, one of the leading newspapers in the country. How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. Nellie Bly Wikipedia. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. Bly's expos, published in the World soon after her return to reality, was a massive success. In the piece, writer Erasmus Wilson (known to Dispatch readers as the "Quiet Observer," or Q.O.) She breathed her last on January 27, 1922 at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City due to pneumonia. 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. 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]. Furthermore, her hands-on approach to reporting developed into a practice now called investigative journalism. Nellie (her pen name) is the best known of these children, and there is not much information about her 14 siblings. Nellie was born on May 5, 1864 in a city called Cochran's Millis in the United States. Oil on canvas. MLA Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. Nellie Bly married manufacturer Robert Seaman in 1895. 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. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. Safely home, she accused Daz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press. Death date: January 27, 1922. How many siblings did Emily Dickinson 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". The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. She was the daughter of Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran (second wife). 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. It was initially published as a series of articles for the New York World. Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee: giving an account of her call to preach the gospel, frontispiece. But her negligence, and embezzlement by a factory manager, resulted in the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. going bankrupt. 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. (June 2002) 217-253. Nellie Bly left New York for France on November 14, 1889. How many siblings did Warren G. Harding have? New York: Crown, 1994. [56], Bly was also a subject of Season 2 Episode 5 of The West Wing in which First Lady Abbey Bartlet dedicates a memorial in Pennsylvania in honor of Nellie Bly and convinces the president to mention her and other female historic figures during his weekly radio address. 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. How many siblings did Marie Antoinette have? [40], On January 27, 1922, Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital, New York City, aged 57. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. Jarena Lee, 1849. How many children did Laura Ingalls Wilder have? Women in Art and Literature: Who Said It? "[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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Biography: You Need to Know: Agness Underwood. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days, Nellie Bly had a childhood. 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. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. "Bly, Nellie (1864-1922), reporter and manufacturer. 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. Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. [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. Engraving. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. How many siblings did Eleanor Roosevelt have? We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. She completed circumnavigating the world in just 72 days and recorded her travel experiences in a book titled Around the World in 72 Days. It was no mere armchair observation, because Bly got herself committed . [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. When she returned, she was again assigned to the society page and promptly quit in protest. She died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Updates? She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. "Pink," as she was known in childhood, was the youngest of 13 (or 15, according . The majority of her writings were literary works. One of the protagonist's adventures in the 2003 film "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is meeting Nellie Bly (Donna Wright) on a train. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. A number of positive changes were made after the release of the book. Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist, World Traveler. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. [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. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. 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. 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 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. Bly told the assistant matron: "There are so many crazy people about, and one can never tell what they will do. She was inducted as a part of the expert team launched to better the conditions prevailing at the asylum. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). Her image was used on everything from playing cards to board games. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. 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. What was nellie blys favorite color? 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. (New York, N.Y.), 14 Nov. 1889. Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. "[22] She refused to go to bed and eventually scared so many of the other boarders that the police were called to take her to the nearby courthouse. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Modernizing America, 1889-1920 / Modern Womanhood / Life Story: Nellie Bly. Nellie Bly died of pneumonia when she was 57. As was the trend then, women writers wrote under pen names. The town was founded by her father, Michael Cochran, who provided for his family by working as a judge and landowner. Kroeger, Brooke. With Caroline Barry, Christopher Lambert, Kelly LeBrock, Julia Chantrey. How might Elizabeths position as a woman have helped her investigative reporting? How many siblings did Rachel Carson have? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. In 2015, director Timothy Hines released 10 Days in a Madhouse, which also depicts Bly's harrowing experience in the asylum. Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. [42] Bly was one of four journalists honored with a US postage stamp in a "Women in Journalism" set in 2002. National Women's History Museum. How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? How many siblings did Deborah Sampson have? Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. How many siblings did Cleopatra VII have? History 101: Nellie Bly. During her early journalism career, Bly wrote Six Months in Mexico (1888), which describes her time as a foreign correspondent in Mexico in 1885. How has Title IX impacted women in education and sports over the last 5 decades? Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania (now Burrell Township), and during her youth, she had the nickname, "Pinky" (wore pink a lot). Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. 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. 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. 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. Here are 10 facts about Nellie Bly. 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." Chien-shiung Wu (1912-1997), professor of physics at Columbia University, 1963. 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. In 1880, the family moved to Pittsburgh where Elizabeth supported her single mother by running a boarding house. She also interviewed and wrote pieces on several prominent figures of the time, including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony. American National Biography. 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). [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. Pace, Lawson. Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. Her honest reporting about the horrors of workers lives attracted negative attention from local factory owners. How many siblings did Louisa May Alcott have? Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. Ten Days in a Mad-House is a book by American journalist Nellie Bly. 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 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. How many siblings did Rosalind Franklin have? As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. While still working as a writer, Bly died from pneumonia on January 27, 1922. 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. Michael married twice. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. on New Yorks ills, such as corruption in the state legislature, unscrupulous employment agencies for domestic workers, and the black market for buying infants. episode "Jack's Back". 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. 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. After the fanfare of her trip around the world, Bly quit reporting and took a lucrative job writing serial novels for publisher Norman Munro's weekly New York Family Story Paper. [1] She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922). Robert was a millionaire who owned the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and the American Steel Barrel Company. 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. She had several siblings and half-siblings. For a time, she was one of the leading women industrialists in the United States. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. . 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. Quick Quiz: Around The World With Nellie Bly. From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nellie-bly-9296.php. Between 1889 and 1895 she wrote eleven novels. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY.