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Nellie Bly

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description Nellie Bly Overview

Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, was an American journalist and writer who pioneered the field of investigative reporting. Working for Joseph Pulitzer's "New York World", she famously feigned insanity to expose the abusive conditions inside a mental asylum and completed a record-breaking trip around the globe in seventy-two days in 1889. Her extensive reporting set a new standard for stunt journalism and brought significant national attention to social issues.

help Nellie Bly FAQ

How many days did it take Nellie Bly to travel around the world?

While working for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, Nellie Bly famously completed her journey around the world in exactly 72 days. She undertook this voyage in 1889 in an attempt to beat the timeline from Jules Verne's fictional novel Around the World in 80 Days.

How did Nellie Bly expose the conditions at the mental asylum?

In 1887, Nellie Bly pioneered undercover investigative reporting by feigning insanity to get admitted to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. Her subsequent expose for the New York World revealed the abusive and inhumane conditions the patients were subjected to.

What was Nellie Bly's real name?

Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Cochran Seaman in 1864. She adopted her famous pen name from a popular Stephen Foster song when she first began working as a journalist in Pittsburgh.

What did Nellie Bly do after her famous trip around the world?

After her around-the-world trip, she married millionaire industrialist Robert Seaman and eventually took over his Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. She went on to patent several inventions related to oil barrels and actively continued her investigative journalism.

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