Bly, Nellie (1864-1922), was the pen name of Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, an American journalist famous for her daring exposés. She once pretended to be a thief and got arrested so she could learn how the police treated women prisoners. She also pretended to be insane to get inside a New York City mental hospital. Her report of cruelty to patients brought reforms.
In November 1889, Nellie Bly sailed from New York City on a trip around the world. Her newspaper, the New York World, sent her to outdo Phileas Fogg, the hero of Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days. She made the trip—by ship, train, jinrikisha (handcart), and burro—in a record 72 days 6 hours 11 minutes.
Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864, in Cochran’s Mills, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Her real name was Elizabeth Cochran, but she added an e to her last name. She began her newspaper career at the age of 20 after writing a letter to The Pittsburgh Dispatch in support of women’s rights. The editor liked her writing and hired her as a reporter. He gave her the pen name “Nellie Bly,” a misspelling of the song “Nelly Bly” by composer Stephen Foster. Nellie Bly died on Jan. 27, 1922.
