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. Nellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). How many siblings did Eleanor Roosevelt have? Blys successful career reached new heights in 1889 when she decided to travel around the world after reading the popular book by Jules Verne, At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? 2022. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly. How many siblings did Coretta Scott King have? This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. She was the daughter of Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran (second wife). 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. Cochrane rode on ships and trains, in rickshaws and sampans, on horses and burros. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. A young journalist looks behind the curtain of a nearby mental hospital, only to uncover the grim and gruesome acts they bestow upon their "patients". 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 . [11], In 1885, a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch titled "What Girls Are Good For" stated that girls were principally for birthing children and keeping house. Nellie Bly, c. 1890. Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. How many siblings did Emmeline Pankhurst have? [46] The Girl Puzzle opened to the public in December, 2021. Her plan was to graduate and find a position as a teacher. New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. But Bly was hopeless at understanding the financial aspects of her business and ultimately lost everything. Born In: Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania, United States. Biography: You Need to Know: Agness Underwood. 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. On January 25, 1890, the world waited for a young reporter named Nellie Bly to arrive back home. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). As she became a teenager, she wanted to portray herself as more sophisticated, and she dropped the nickname and changed her surname to "Cochrane". The show ran for 16 performances. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Lib. American National Biography. Elizabeth Jane Cochran, a.k.a. 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. Christina Ricci starred as Bly and Transparent's Judith Light played the role of the head nurse. Chien-shiung Wu (1912-1997), professor of physics at Columbia University, 1963. The Sibling Society The Sibling Society Reconsidering the Siblings, a Critical Study of Robert Bly's The Sibling Society The Sibling Society Mirabai Iron John Leaping Poetry A Little Book on the Human Shadow Morning Poems The Teeth-Mother Naked at Last Growing Yourself Back Up Talking Into the . The story of Nellie Bly, the pen name of a young reporter named Elizabeth Cochran, has been told and retold ever since she burst onto the scene in 1887. 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. Bly's expos, published in the World soon after her return to reality, was a massive success. 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 died of pneumonia when she was 57. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Her report, published 9 October 1887[23] and later in book form as Ten Days in a Mad-House, caused a sensation, prompted the asylum to implement reforms, and brought her lasting fame. "Nellie Bly." How many brothers and sisters did George Washington Carver have? Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. 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 Oil on canvas. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. 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. For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. Bly not only accepted the challenge, she decided to feign mental illness to gain admission and expose firsthand how patients were treated. [41], In 1998, Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She wasn't the first woman of her time to join a newsroom, but she was certainly the most. How many brothers and sisters did Abigail Adams have? The evening world. 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. Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. . [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. Her straightforward yet compassionate approach to these issues captivated audiences. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1889-11-14/ed-3/seq-1/, By: Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow; Updated by: Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Womens History | 2020-2022. [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. Elizabeth Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania. Faced with such dwindling finances, Bly consequently re-entered the newspaper industry. Women in Art and Literature: Who Said It? How many siblings did Shirley Chisholm have? How many siblings did Deborah Sampson have? Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. Nellie Bly was born as Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, to a mill worker Michael Cochran and his wife Mary Jane. National Women's History Museum. Her New York debut, at age 23, was a harrowing two-part expos of the Woman's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's (now Roosevelt) Island for which she had feigned insanity and fooled a battalion of Bellevue doctors and curious reporters from competing papers to get inside. As a child she wore it so often she was nicknamed Pinky. Her report was compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), and led to lasting institutional reforms. What might she have been able to do that men could not? How many brothers and sisters did Theodore Roosevelt have? 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. She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City. 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). Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist, carries her son Wilson Miles-Ochoa following the STS-96 crew return at Ellington Field. How many siblings did Catherine of Aragon have? How many siblings did Benazir Bhutto have? Ten Days in a Mad-House is a book by American journalist Nellie Bly. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. [7] Michael Cochran died in 1870, when Elizabeth was 6. She lived there as an international correspondent for the Dispatch for six months. New-York Historical Society Library. 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. The high point of Cochranes career at the World began on November 14, 1889, when she sailed from New York to beat the record of Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Vernes romance Around the World in Eighty Days. How many siblings did Mary McLeod Bethune have. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America. American Quarterly, 54 no 2. How many children did Catherine Parr have? 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. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mill, Pennsylvania. In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. Her fathers death when she was quite young had left the Cochran family with meagre means. History 101: Nellie Bly. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? Due to the familys financial struggles, she left the school after one term and soon moved with her mother to Pittsburgh, where her two older brothers had settled. Ten Days in a Mad-House was a raging success and brought Nellie Bly immense fame and recognition as a writer and civil rights activist. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. 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. [48], Bly was the subject of the 1946 Broadway musical Nellie Bly by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. How many siblings did Florence Nightingale have? 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. The reporter known as Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, where her father was a mill owner and county judge. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 secondssetting a real-world record, despite her fictional inspiration for the undertaking. With her courageous and bold act, she cemented her legacy as one of the most notable journalists in history. One of Bly's earliest assignments was to author a piece detailing the experiences endured by patients of the infamous mental institution on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island) in New York City. 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. Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. of Congress. 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). Nellie Bly married manufacturer Robert Seaman in 1895. Best Known For: Nellie Bly was known for her pioneering journalism, including her 1887 expos on the conditions of asylum patients at Blackwell's Island in New York City and her report of her. She published her articles in a book titled 10 Days in A Mad House. Michael married twice. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. Now Nellie Bly is getting her due. The Washington Post. How many siblings did Elizabeth Blackwell have? To what extent did Elizabeths trip around the world redefine ideas of what it meant to be a woman? Elizabeths boss did not want to anger Pittsburghs elite and quickly reassigned her as a society columnist. In it, she argued for reform of divorce laws. 2022. After a ten-day stay at the asylum, it was at the behest of the newspaper that Bly was freed. episode "Jack's Back". [2], Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born May 5, 1864,[3] in "Cochran's Mills", now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. 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. Nellie Bly was the most famous American woman reporter of the 19th century. 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. Portrait of Nellie Bly. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. Engraving. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. She faced rejection after rejection as news editors would not consider hiring a woman. [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. By Barbara Maranzani Updated: Nov 12, 2020. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? A misogynistic column in the daily, The Pittsburgh Dispatch, prompted her to pen a fiery rebuttal to the editor under the pseudonym Lonely Orphan Girl. Such was the impression of her writing that it won her a full-time employment with the newspaper. How many siblings did Anne Sullivan have? Most of Blys early works revolved around the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and emphasized the importance of women's rights issues. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Blys successful career reached new heights in 1889 when she decided to travel around the world after reading the popular book by Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days. Her reporting on life in the asylum shocked the public and led to increased funding to improve conditions in the institution. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. How many siblings did Susan B. Anthony have? When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. To sustain interest in the story, the World organized a "Nellie Bly Guessing Match" in which readers were asked to estimate Bly's arrival time to the second, with the Grand Prize consisting at first of a trip to Europe and, later on, spending money for the trip. She used the pen name Nellie Bly, which she took from a well-known song at the time, Nelly Bly. Bly was a popular columnist, but she was limited to writing pieces that only addressed women and soon quit in dissatisfaction. 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 was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. She started a new trend in reporting that earned her recognition as an undercover reporter. Elizabeth hoped the massive newspaper industry of New York City would be more open-minded to a female journalist and left Pittsburgh. 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.