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). She stayed up all night to give herself the wide-eyed look of a disturbed woman and began making accusations that the other boarders were insane. During her travels around the world, she went through England, France, Brindisi, the Suez Canal, Colombo, the Straits Settlements of Penang and Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. When Cochrane introduced herself to the editor, he offered her the opportunity to write a piece for the newspaper, again under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl". "Nellie Bly." How many siblings did Rosalind Franklin have? Kroeger, Brooke. Ten Little-Known Facts about Nellie Bly - Tonya Mitchell Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921-1934 and she performed in 13 films. 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. [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. [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. There have been claims that Bly invented the barrel,[35] but the inventor was registered as Henry Wehrhahn (U.S. 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." She only attended one year of boarding school, because the financial burden placed on the family following her father's death forced her to quit school. 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: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. copyright 2003-2023 Homework.Study.com. Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed She was arrested when she was mistaken for a British spy. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? How Nellie Bly went undercover to expose abuse of the mentally ill She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist, carries her son Wilson Miles-Ochoa following the STS-96 crew return at Ellington Field. When Elizabeth Cochran began in journalism in 1885, it was considered inappropriate for a woman to write under her own name. [17] Madden was impressed again and offered her a full-time job. Her reporting not only raised awareness about mental health treatment and led to improvements in institutional conditions, it also ushered in an age of investigative journalism. Nellie Bly (U.S. National Park Service) Updates? 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. Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist - ThoughtCo She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. 1893-1894. 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. Bernard, Karen. He had 10 children with his first wife, Catherine Murphy, and 5 more children, including Elizabeth Cochran his thirteenth daughter, with his second wife, Mary Jane Kennedy. Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island. Lutes, Jean Marie. Michael Cochrans rise from mill worker to mill owner to judge meant his family lived very comfortably. Inside Nellie Bly's 10 Days in a Madhouse - Biography The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Elizabeth traveled light, taking only the dress she wore, a cape, and a small travelers bag. 1750. Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. She began working for the New York Evening Journal in 1920 and reported on numerous events, including the growing womens suffrage movement. 2022. Also around this time, she retired from journalism, and by all accounts, the couple enjoyed a happy marriage. Her trip around the world in 72 days brought her even further fame. At the . [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. In 1895, Bly married millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. PDF The Sibling Society Robert Bly - Spenden.medair.org The park reopened in 2007[71] under new management, renamed "Adventurers Amusement Park". Elizabeth positioned herself as an investigative reporter. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist, World Traveler. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. 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. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. The majority of her writings were literary works. Elizabeth knew that she would need to support herself financially. 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. 1. Elizabeths mother soon remarried, but quickly divorced her second husband because of abuse, and relocated the family to Pittsburgh. 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. [24] She had a significant impact on American culture and shed light on the experiences of marginalized women beyond the bounds of the asylum as she ushered in the era of stunt girl journalism. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY. She was 57 years old. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. 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. To escape writing about womens issues on the society page, Elizabeth volunteered to travel to Mexico. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. New-York Historical Society. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. But Bly was hopeless at understanding the financial aspects of her business and ultimately lost everything. In 2015, director Timothy Hines released 10 Days in a Madhouse, which also depicts Bly's harrowing experience in the asylum. How many sisters did Martha Washington have? [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. All Rights Reserved. Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. How many brothers and sisters did Abigail Adams have? In early 2019, Lifetime released a thriller based on Bly's experience as an undercover reporter in a women's mental ward. 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. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. How many siblings did James Meredith have? We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/learn/women-forging-way/nellie-bly-around-the-world, Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. Print Page Nellie Bly Nellie Bly, c. 1890. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the New York World, one of the leading newspapers in the country. Promenading with Lunatics: Nellie Bly's Brave Undercover - Medium She often exposed the poor working conditions faced by women. Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. How many siblings did Elizabeth Cady Stanton have? Portrait of Nellie Bly. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nellie-bly-9296.php. Nellie started boarding school but had to drop out after only one term since her parents did not have enough money to pay for the school. 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. However, not long after beginning her courses there, financial constraints forced Bly to table her hopes for higher education. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". [53] In 2019, the Center for Investigative Reporting released Nellie Bly Makes the News, a short animated biographical film. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Nellie Bly, Social Welfare History Project - Biography of Nellie Bly, The MY HERO Project - Biography of Nellie Bly, National Women's History Museum - Biography of Nellie Bly, Nellie Bly - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Nellie Blys Book: Around the World in Seventy-two Days. Nellie Bly was a nationally significant journalist at the New York World. Pace, Lawson. 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. 2022. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly. However, he also misspelled the name, and she became Nellie Bly.. Nellie Bly Wikipedia. "Nellie Bly." New York: Crown, 1994. In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. The show ran for 16 performances. She completed circumnavigating the world in just 72 days and recorded her travel experiences in a book titled Around the World in 72 Days. 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. 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.