National Women's History Museum, 2022. This is a short thirty-minute lesson on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. "Nellie Bly." Nellie Bly left New York for France on November 14, 1889. National Women's History Museum. How many brothers and sisters did Harriet Tubman have? Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. 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. Unscrupulous employees bilked the firm of hundreds of thousands of dollars, troubles compounded by protracted and costly bankruptcy litigation. She was a pioneer in investigative journalism. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. Nellie Bly, was one of fourteen siblings growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth is often described as a muckraker. She was inducted as a part of the expert team launched to better the conditions prevailing at the asylum. 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. She challenged the stereotypical assumption that women could not travel without many suitcases, outfit changes, and vanity items. Lutes, Jean Marie. Elizabeth too began writing under the pen name Nellie Bly after the Stephen Foster song. But Bly was hopeless at understanding the financial aspects of her business and ultimately lost everything. 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. 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. 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. Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. Pace, Lawson. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. 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. Nellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. Her mother remarried but divorced in 1878 due to abuse. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. His farm, mill, and the surrounding area became known as "Cochran's Mill" (part of a suburb of Pittsburgh). What might she have been able to do that men could not? Biography: You Need to Know: Agness Underwood. She went undercover at a factory where she experienced unsafe working conditions, poor wages, and long hours. How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter have? Bernard, Karen. At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. Her time was 72 days 6 hours 11 minutes 14 seconds. Read free previews and reviews from booklovers. Elizabeth positioned herself as an investigative reporter. Those words, describing New York City's most notorious mental institution, were written by journalist Nellie Bly in 1887. Nellie Bly was the most famous American woman reporter of the 19th century. The students will discuss diversity within the economics profession and in the federal government, and the functions of the Federal Reserve System and U. S. monetary policy, by reviewing a historic timeline and analyzing the acts of Janet Yellen. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. 1. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist, carries her son Wilson Miles-Ochoa following the STS-96 crew return at Ellington Field. Nellie Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, travelling first by ship but later by other vehicles. Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. Her world tour made her a celebrity. She also interviewed and wrote pieces on several prominent figures of the time, including Emma Goldman and Susan B. Anthony. Search results for "The Babysitter Chronicles" at Rakuten Kobo. Returning to Pittsburgh, she temporarily continued working for The Pittsburgh Dispatch before leaving for New York City in 1887. 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. 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). [70], The Nellie Bly Amusement Park in Brooklyn, New York City, was named after her, taking as its theme Around the World in Eighty Days. Elizabeths report about Blackwells Island earned her a permanent position as an investigative journalist for the World. In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the New York World, one of the leading newspapers in the country. To what extent did Elizabeths trip around the world redefine ideas of what it meant to be a woman? [4][5][6] Her father, Michael Cochran, born about 1810, started out as a laborer and mill worker before buying the local mill and most of the land surrounding his family farmhouse. For ten days Elizabeth experienced the physical and mental abuses suffered by patients. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. July 28, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/28/she-went-undercover-expose-an-insane-asylums-horrors-now-nellie-bly-is-getting-her-due/. 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 . Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha and Mariana Brandman. Nellie Bly Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts. 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". 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. Elizabeth knew that she would need to support herself financially. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. Interestingly, rival newspaper New York Cosmopolitan had sent their reporter Elizabeth Bisland on a similar journey but she arrived four days later. 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. How many siblings did Coretta Scott King have? She was the daughter of Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran (second wife). 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). With Christina Ricci, Judith Light, Josh Bowman, Anja Savcic. She recounted her adventures in her final book, Around the World in 72 Days. Most of Blys early works revolved around the negative consequences of sexist ideologies and emphasized the importance of women's rights issues. Her reporting introduced readers to the horrors of insane asylums and to international travel. When Elizabeth Cochran began in journalism in 1885, it was considered inappropriate for a woman to write under her own name. But her negligence, and embezzlement by a factory manager, resulted in the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. going bankrupt. Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? Goodman, Matthew. 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. [42] Bly was one of four journalists honored with a US postage stamp in a "Women in Journalism" set in 2002. "Nellie Bly." Full_Name: Elizabeth Jane Cochran. 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. 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. 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. She was satisfied to know that her work led to change. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mill, Pennsylvania. How many siblings did Angelina Grimke have? Her trip around the world in 72 days brought her even further fame. Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. How many children did Catherine of Aragon have? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In this lesson, students will experience the tragedy of the commons through a team activity in which they compete for resources. Faced with such dwindling finances, Bly consequently re-entered the newspaper industry. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. During her early journalism career, Bly wrote Six Months in Mexico (1888), which describes her time as a foreign correspondent in Mexico in 1885. She married millionaire Robert Seaman in 1895, but after his death she suffered financial reverses, and she returned to newspaper work on the New York Journal in 1920. Nellie Bly was ousted from Mexico after she ran a series of articles criticizing the Mexican dictator and ruler, Porfirio Diaz. 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. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. How many sisters did Susan B. Anthony have? One of her first undertakings for that paper was to get herself committed to the asylum on Blackwells (now Roosevelt) Island by feigning insanity. [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. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. How many siblings did Ruth Bader Ginsburg have? Conduct a close examination of. With Caroline Barry, Christopher Lambert, Kelly LeBrock, Julia Chantrey. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America., Nellie Bly PBS: American Experience, Accessed 23 March 23, 2017, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/world/peopleevents/pande01.html. Nellie Bly was a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the workforce. New-York Historical Society Library. She lived there as an international correspondent for the Dispatch for six months. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. 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 72-day trip around the world. 2022. Engraving. It was initially published as a series of articles for the New York World. How many siblings did Louisa May Alcott have? The articles were subsequently collected in Six Months in Mexico (1888). New York: Crown, 1994. (Bly's record was beaten in 1890 by George Francis Train, who finished the trip in 67 days.). For 72 days, as she jumped cargo ships, trains, tugboats, and rickshaws, newspaper readers had. She wanted to write a story on the immigrant experience in the United States. The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America. American Quarterly, 54 no 2. In 1887 Cochrane left Pittsburgh for New York City and went to work for Joseph Pulitzers New York World. Sherwood, D., Gabriel, R., Brescovit, A. D. & Lucas, S. M. (2022). [15] "Mad Marriages" was published under the byline of Nellie Bly, rather than "Lonely Orphan Girl". This prompted Elizabeth to write a response under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl". She moved back to Pittsburgh to help her mother run a boarding house. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Nellie Bly, pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane, also spelled Cochran, (born May 5, 1864, Cochrans 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. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? . Following her superlative success with the Blackwell expose, she continued with her investigative series of work, exposing improper treatment in New York jails and factories, corruption in state legislature and so on. During World War I, she traveled to Europe as the first woman to report from the trenches on the front line. The evening world. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). History 101: Nellie Bly. Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. She began working for the New York Evening Journal in 1920 and reported on numerous events, including the growing womens suffrage movement. As few copies of the paper survived, these novels were thought lost until 2021, when author David Blixt announced their discovery, found in Munro's British weekly The London Story Paper. She often exposed the poor working conditions faced by women. 1750. Bernard, Karen. 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. She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922). How many brothers and sisters did Amelia Earhart have? Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. 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. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 8 of Nellie Bly's Most Sensational Stories. [11], As a writer, Nellie Bly focused her early work for the Pittsburgh Dispatch on the lives of working women, writing a series of investigative articles on women factory workers. 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. Bly died of pneumonia at the age of 57 in 1922. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Just two years after reviving her writing career, on January 27, 1922, Bly died from pneumonia in New York City. Bly, Nellie. [15] In one report, she protested the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticizing the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Daz. Michael had 10 children with his first wife and five more with Mary Jane, who had no prior children. [57], Bly has been the subject of two episodes of the Comedy Central series Drunk History. Furthermore, her hands-on approach to reporting developed into a practice now called investigative journalism. Portrait of Nellie Bly. She had several siblings and half-siblings. Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee: giving an account of her call to preach the gospel, frontispiece. New-York Historical Society Library. Bly looked for work to help support her family, but found fewer opportunities than her less-educated brothers. Collection of the New-York Historical Society. In response to an article in the. Michael married twice. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. How many siblings did Benazir Bhutto have?