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. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? How many siblings did Cleopatra VII have? Nellie Bly Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY. [22], Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. [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]. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. American National Biography. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. Nellie was born on May 5, 1864 in a city called Cochran's Millis in the United States. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE; AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP, Major support for Women & the American Story provided by, Lead support for New-York Historicals teacher programs provided by. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. She covered a number of national news stories, including the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth often referred to suffrage in her articles, arguing that women were as capable as men in all things. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Answer and Explanation: Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). How might Elizabeths position as a woman have helped her investigative reporting? The articles were subsequently collected in Six Months in Mexico (1888). 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. [38], Bly wrote stories on Europe's Eastern Front during World War I. 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]. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. Madden immediately offered her a job as a columnist. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. episode "Jack's Back". How many siblings did Rachel Carson have? https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/learn/women-forging-way/nellie-bly-around-the-world, Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. How many brothers and sisters did Theodore Roosevelt have? Ten Days in the Madhouse. [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. The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Her image was used on everything from playing cards to board games. Working for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, Bly gained national fame for her undercover work as a patient in a women's mental asylum in New York City. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. Michael had 10 children with his first wife, and he had 5 children with his second wife. Interestingly, rival newspaper New York Cosmopolitan had sent their reporter Elizabeth Bisland on a similar journey but she arrived four days later. Nellie Bly died of pneumonia when she was 57. 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. Nellie Bly was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. Elizabeth Bisland Wetmore (February 11, 1861 - January 6, 1929) was an American journalist and author, perhaps now best known for her 1889-1890 race around the world against Nellie Bly, which drew worldwide attention. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. 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. Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922) World-Traveling Journalist and Muckraker The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Between 1889 and 1895, Nellie Bly also penned twelve novels for The New York Family Story Paper. After ten days, the asylum released Bly at The World's behest. 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. She also interviewed and wrote pieces on several prominent figures of the time, including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony. Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. The investigative nature of her articles and her cry for womens rights issues did not go too well with the editors of the newspaper who pushed her into the so-called women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. Alternate titles: Elizabeth Cochran, Elizabeth Cochrane. The show ran for 16 performances. 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. She was arrested when she was mistaken for a British spy. Similar reportorial gambits took her into sweatshops, jails, and the legislature (where she exposed bribery in the lobbyist system). After a ten-day stay at the asylum, it was at the behest of the newspaper that Bly was freed. Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. Male 4 November 1848-29 June 1903 LHVT-N79. 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. 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 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. [32] In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the World. As she became a teenager, she wanted to portray herself as more sophisticated, and she dropped the nickname and changed her surname to "Cochrane". She also became renowned for her investigative and undercover reporting, including posing as a sweatshop worker to expose poor working conditions faced by women. The New York World completely supported her ambitious feat. 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). 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. How many siblings does Bessie Coleman have? She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. Elizabeth Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania. First, she wanted to beat the record set in the popular fictional world tour from Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days. 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." [69], The board game Round the World with Nellie Bly created in 1890 is named in recognition of her trip. After the company suffered losses from embezzlement, Bly returned to journalism and reported from Europe during World War I. Elizabeth hoped the massive newspaper industry of New York City would be more open-minded to a female journalist and left Pittsburgh. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. What might she have been able to do that men could not? Nellie Blys first major work as a reporter was when she did the asylum expose for New York World. Her work Ten Days in a Mad House was a phenomenal success and won her great acclaim. How many siblings did Mary Todd Lincoln have? With her courageous and bold act, she cemented her legacy as one of the most notable journalists in history. 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. Her investigation of conditions at an insane asylum sparked outrage, legal action, and improvements of the treatment of the mentally ill. Print Page Nellie Bly Nellie Bly, c. 1890. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. On January 25, 1890, the world waited for a young reporter named Nellie Bly to arrive back home. Between 1889 and 1895 she wrote eleven novels. How many siblings did Patricia Bath have? All Rights Reserved. The story of Nellie Bly, a female journalist who willingly got herself admitted to an insane asylum in 1890s New York so she could write about the experience and expose the injustices. 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. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum. The editor was so impressed with her writing that he gave her a job. How many sisters did Charles Dickens have? How many siblings did Althea Gibson have? How many siblings did Benazir Bhutto have? http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html, Janet Yellen: The Progress of Women and Minorities in the Field of Economics, Elinor Lin Ostrom, Nobel Prize Economist, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation, https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601472, https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/nellie-bly/, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/28/she-went-undercover-expose-an-insane-asylums-horrors-now-nellie-bly-is-getting-her-due/, https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/learn/women-forging-way/nellie-bly-around-the-world. Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, ca. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. This lesson will teach you about Nellie Bly, her adventures, her inventions, and why she wrote under a fake name! Her father had ten children from his first marriage and five children from his second marriage to Elizabeths mother, Mary Jane Kennedy. Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. Conduct a close examination of. Nellie Bly gained international stardom for her world tour stunt that multiplied her fame. MLA Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. [66] David Blixt also appeared on a March 10, 2021 episode of the podcast Broads You Should Know as a Nellie Bly expert. In this lesson, students will experience the tragedy of the commons through a team activity in which they compete for resources. She was satisfied to know that her work led to change. New York: Crown, 1994. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. She left the newspaper industry after her marriage to serve as the president of her husbands company, Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. As a social reformer she gave over-the-top perks to her employees but the scheme cost the company so dearly that it went bankrupt. How many siblings did Louisa May Alcott have? 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. Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. 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. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? It shed light on the disturbing living condition of patients, the neglect on part of the authorities and the physical abuse meted out to patients. As was the trend then, women writers wrote under pen names. How many siblings did Florence Nightingale have? Seaman died in 1904. [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. History 101: Nellie Bly. In 1888, inspired by Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Bly aimed to turn the fictional tale into reality. For 72 days, as she jumped cargo ships, trains, tugboats, and rickshaws, newspaper readers had. In 1885, Elizabeth read an article in the Pittsburgh Dispatch that argued a womans place was in the home, to be a helpmate to a man. She strongly disagreed with this opinion and sent an angry letter to the editor anonymously signed Lonely Orphan Girl.. Omissions? Blys literary success proliferated when she turned the fictional tale of Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, into reality. Bly, Nellie. For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. Nellie's father was a successful businessman and a good parent to Nellie and her four siblings. By Barbara Maranzani Updated: Nov 12, 2020. Taking on the pen name by which she's best known, after a Stephen Foster song, she sought to highlight the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and the importance of women's rights issues. 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. How has Title IX impacted women in education and sports over the last 5 decades? no. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. McLoughlin Bros., Round the World with Nellie Bly, 1890. Died: January 27, 1922, New York City, NY. Elizabeth had fourteen siblings. He later became a merchant, postmaster, and associate justice at Cochran's Mills (which was named after him) in Pennsylvania. Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921-1934 and she performed in 13 films. 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. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. world attention to journalist Nellie Bly with his Elizabeth is often described as a muckraker. While still working as a writer, Bly died from pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. Nellie Bly was the most famous American woman reporter of the 19th century. She died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. Michael had 10 children with his first wife and five more with Mary Jane, who had no prior children. Pace, Lawson. Death date: January 27, 1922. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. [39] Bly was the first woman and one of the first foreigners to visit the war zone between Serbia and Austria. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. Her plan was to graduate and find a position as a teacher. [2], Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born May 5, 1864,[3] in "Cochran's Mills", now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. [1] [2] Nellie (her pen name) is the best known of these children, and there is not much information about her 14 siblings. [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. How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? She breathed her last on January 27, 1922 at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City due to pneumonia. How many siblings did Queen Victoria have? 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. 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. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. How many siblings did Anne Sullivan have? Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. What does that mean, and how did her writing contribute to reform efforts on a variety of issues? Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. [13] Her first article for the Dispatch, titled "The Girl Puzzle", argued that not all women would marry and that what was needed were better jobs for women. Cochrans editor chose the name Nelly Bly from a Stephen Foster song. Returning to Pittsburgh, she temporarily continued working for The Pittsburgh Dispatch before leaving for New York City in 1887. 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. [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. Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island. The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. "[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. Just over seventy-two days after her departure from Hoboken, Bly was back in New York. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mill, Pennsylvania. But her negligence, and embezzlement by a factory manager, resulted in the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. going bankrupt. In the piece, writer Erasmus Wilson (known to Dispatch readers as the "Quiet Observer," or Q.O.) Lutes, Jean Marie. However, after his death, the family . 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. She was one of 15 children. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days, Nellie Bly had a childhood. Elizabeths investigations brought attention to inequalities and often motivated others to take action. [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. Nellie Bly was ousted from Mexico after she ran a series of articles criticizing the Mexican dictator and ruler, Porfirio Diaz. In 1887, 23-year-old reporter Nellie Bly had herself committed to a New York City asylum to expose the horrific conditions for 19th-century mental patients. 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. 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. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. In her later years, Bly returned to journalism, covering World War I from Europe and continuing to shed light on major issues that impacted women. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story: Directed by Karen Moncrieff. Also around this time, she retired from journalism, and by all accounts, the couple enjoyed a happy marriage. [40], On January 27, 1922, Bly died of pneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital, New York City, aged 57. Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. Here are 10 facts about Nellie Bly. Her honest reporting about the horrors of workers lives attracted negative attention from local factory owners. One of the protagonist's adventures in the 2003 film "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is meeting Nellie Bly (Donna Wright) on a train. Quick Quiz: Around The World With Nellie Bly. How many brothers and sisters did Amelia Earhart have? [14] It was customary for women who were newspaper writers at that time to use pen names. In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. 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. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. 1985.212. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. of Congress. A number of positive changes were made after the release of the book. 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.
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