How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? [1] [2] [68], Bly is one of 100 women featured in the first version of the book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls written by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo. Kroeger, Brooke. However, not long after beginning her courses there, financial constraints forced Bly to table her hopes for higher education. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days, Nellie Bly had a childhood. Lib. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. She uncovered the abuse of women by male police officers, identified an employment agency that was stealing from immigrants, and exposed corrupt politicians. . 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). Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story: Directed by Karen Moncrieff. To what extent did Elizabeths trip around the world redefine ideas of what it meant to be a woman? In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. 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). Answer and Explanation: Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist, World Traveler. 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. The newspapers editor, George Madden, saw potential in her piece and invited her to work for the Dispatch as a reporter. Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. 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. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. [69], The board game Round the World with Nellie Bly created in 1890 is named in recognition of her trip. 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. Women in Art and Literature: Who Said It? 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. New-York Historical Society Library. Well never share your email with anyone else, 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, Bly looked for work to help support her family, but found fewer opportunities than her less-educated brothers. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 1750. (New York, N.Y.), 14 Nov. 1889. 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. 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. [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]. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Nellie Bly was famed for pioneering new investigative journalism when she worked as an undercover journalist in New York's most notorious mental institution. 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. Elizabeths writing career started abruptly and unintentionally. [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. Thought lost, these novels were not collected in book form until their re-discovery in 2021.[75]. What might she have been able to do that men could not? How many siblings did Zora Neale Hurston have? When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. 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. Nellie Bly gained international stardom for her world tour stunt that multiplied her fame. Nellie Bly was a nationally significant journalist at the New York World. Robert was a millionaire who owned the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and the American Steel Barrel Company. Her work, which was later reprinted as a book titled Ten Days in a Mad House spurred a large-scale investigation of the institution as well as the much-needed improvements in health care. [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. How many siblings did Eleanor of Aquitaine have? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [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. Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. She published all of her works as Elizabeth Bisland . In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. 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. [9] In 1879, she enrolled at Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for one term but was forced to drop out due to lack of funds. Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. Elizabeth too began writing under the pen name Nellie Bly after the Stephen Foster song. The town was founded by her father, Judge Michael Cochran. How many brothers and sisters did Ella Baker have? To escape writing about womens issues on the society page, Elizabeth volunteered to travel to Mexico. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. His farm, mill, and the surrounding area became known as "Cochran's Mill" (part of a suburb of Pittsburgh). 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. Here are 10 facts about Nellie Bly. [37], She ran her company as a model of social welfare, replete with health benefits and recreational facilities. New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. Cochrane rode on ships and trains, in rickshaws and sampans, on horses and burros. Sherwood, D., Gabriel, R., Brescovit, A. D. & Lucas, S. M. (2022). Nellie Bly was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. 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. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. How many brothers and sisters did Theodore Roosevelt have? Collection of the New-York Historical Society. [2], Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born May 5, 1864,[3] in "Cochran's Mills", now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. 10 Days in a Madhouse: Directed by Timothy Hines. Nellie Bly was an unwavering advocate for social change, a journalistic dynamo, and a force of nature. [21], It was not easy for Bly to be admitted to the Asylum: she first decided to check herself into a boarding house called "Temporary Homes for Females". How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? 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. Michael Cochran began his career in the mills outside Pittsburgh, until he was able to earn enough to buy the mill. How many siblings did Rachel Carson have? Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Elizabeth traveled light, taking only the dress she wore, a cape, and a small travelers bag. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husband's Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? What was nellie blys favorite color? From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. Bly later enrolled at the Indiana Normal School, a small college in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she studied to become a teacher. Her first articles, on conditions among working girls in Pittsburgh, slum life, and other similar topics, marked her as a reporter of ingenuity and concern. How many siblings did Cleopatra VII have? Most of Blys early works revolved around the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and emphasized the importance of women's rights issues. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. [34] Due to her husband's failing health, she left journalism and succeeded her husband as head of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co., which made steel containers such as milk cans and boilers. Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded 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. 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. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). [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. Given the green light to try the feat by the New York World, Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, in November 1889, traveling first by ship and later also via horse, rickshaw, sampan, burro and other vehicles. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Elizabeth Cochran (she later added a final e to Cochran) received scant formal schooling. [55], Anne Helm appeared as Nellie Bly in the November 21, 1960, Tales of Wells Fargo TV episode "The Killing of Johnny Lash". As a child she wore it so often she was nicknamed Pinky. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? Print Page Nellie Bly Nellie Bly, c. 1890. How many siblings did Emmeline Pankhurst have? Her trip around the world in 72 days brought her even further fame. Seaman died in 1904. In this lesson, students will experience the tragedy of the commons through a team activity in which they compete for resources. How many children did Laura Ingalls Wilder have? She was one of 15 children. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. 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 Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum. 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 her ten-days-in-a-madhouse stunt and her circumnavigation of the globefeats that would make her a household nameshe went on to do many other things. 1. The Girl Puzzle Monument honoring activist and journalist Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, pen name Nellie Bly (1864-1922), is a public sculptural installation by American artist Amanda Matthews, CEO/Partner of Prometheus Art Bronze Foundry and Metal Fabrication.The installation is located on the northern tip of Roosevelt Island in Lighthouse Park (named after the Blackwell Island Light) in the New . She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. The editor chose "Nellie Bly", after the African-American title character in the popular song "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days. During World War I, she traveled to Europe as the first woman to report from the trenches on the front line. Date accessed. In a tribute after her death, the acclaimed newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane remembered Bly as the best reporter in America., Kroeger, Brooke. In her first act of stunt journalism for the World, Elizabeth pretended to be mentally ill and arranged to be a patient at New Yorks insane asylum for the poor, Blackwells Island. Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. ", Lutes, Jean Marie. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. [17] Madden was impressed again and offered her a full-time job. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. Elizabeths mother soon remarried, but quickly divorced her second husband because of abuse, and relocated the family to Pittsburgh. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! New York: Crown, 1994. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. The stunt made her famous. Michael had 10 children with his first wife, and he had 5 children with his second wife. [50], Bly has been portrayed in the films The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981),[51] 10 Days in a Madhouse (2015),[52] and Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story (2019). Safely home, she accused Daz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press. However, the newspaper soon received complaints from factory owners about her writing, and she was reassigned to women's pages to cover fashion, society, and gardening, the usual role for women journalists, and she became dissatisfied. On January 25, 1890, the world waited for a young reporter named Nellie Bly to arrive back home. In 2020, it was awarded to Claudia Irizarry Aponte, of THE CITY. How many sisters did Martha Washington have? NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Modernizing America, 1889-1920 / Modern Womanhood / Life Story: Nellie Bly. These changes included a larger appropriation of funds for the care of mentally ill patients, additional physician appointments for stronger supervision of nurses and other healthcare workers, and regulations to prevent overcrowding and fire hazards at the city's medical facilities. Bly switched back to reporting, later on writing stories on Europe's Eastern Front during World War I and the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913. [7] Michael Cochran died in 1870, when Elizabeth was 6. Oil on canvas. How might Elizabeths position as a woman have helped her investigative reporting? How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? How many siblings did James Meredith have? 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. Her article's headline was "Suffragists Are Men's Superiors" and in its text she accurately predicted that it would be 1920 before women in the United States would be given the right to vote. How many brothers and sisters did George Washington Carver have? Nellie Bly left New York for France on November 14, 1889. Although Elizabeth never regained the level of stardom she experienced after her trip around the world, she continued to use her writing to shed light on issues of the day. 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. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? This lesson will teach you about Nellie Bly, her adventures, her inventions, and why she wrote under a fake name! She died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. At a time when women reporters were generally restricted to womens page reporting, Bly covered wider issues beyond just gardening or lifestyle and concentrated on slum life and other important topics. For 72 days, as she jumped cargo ships, trains, tugboats, and rickshaws, newspaper readers had. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. In 1895, Bly married millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. The editor, Joseph Pulitzer, declined that story, but he challenged Bly to investigate one of New Yorks most notorious mental asylums, Blackwells Island. Corrections? 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. Feb. 1, 2000; Accessed April 27, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601472. How many siblings did Elizabeth Cady Stanton have? Elizabeth hoped the massive newspaper industry of New York City would be more open-minded to a female journalist and left Pittsburgh. How many blood siblings did Queen Isabella have? 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. How many siblings did August Wilson have? Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by Ian L. Munro in New York City in 1887. [15] In one report, she protested the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticizing the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Daz. How many siblings did Angelina Grimke have? Biography: You Need to Know: Agness Underwood. In 1911, she returned to journalism as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. Also around this time, she retired from journalism, and by all accounts, the couple enjoyed a happy marriage. In it, she argued for reform of divorce laws. [1] She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. After the company suffered losses from embezzlement, Bly returned to journalism and reported from Europe during World War I. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. 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. 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. [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. At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. [67], A fictionalized account of Bly's around-the-world trip was used in the 2010 comic book Julie Walker Is The Phantom published by Moonstone Books (Story: Elizabeth Massie, art: Paul Daly, colors: Stephen Downer). [41], In 1998, Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Elizabeth Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania. When she returned, she was again assigned to the society page and promptly quit in protest. Elizabeth positioned herself as an investigative reporter. 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. Search results for "The Babysitter Chronicles" at Rakuten Kobo. Her report of the horrifyingly appalling conditions prevailing inside the asylum was an eye-opener for the general public and authorities alike. [citation needed] Julia Duffy appeared as Bly in the July 10, 1983 Voyagers! Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. Bly not only accepted the challenge, she decided to feign mental illness to gain admission and expose firsthand how patients were treated. 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. 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). Michael married twice. 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. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. [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. 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. Pace, Lawson. "On the species of Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901 deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, with redescriptions of type material, the first record of P. grandis Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008 from Peru, and the description of four new species".