She published all of her works as Elizabeth Bisland . The town was founded by her father, Michael Cochran, who provided for his family by working as a judge and landowner. The first chapters of Eva The Adventuress, based on the real-life trial of Eva Hamilton, appeared in print before Bly returned to New York. New-York Historical Society Library. 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. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. 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. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nellie-bly-9296.php. 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. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. Cochrans editor chose the name Nelly Bly from a Stephen Foster song. [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. How many brothers and sisters did Harriet Tubman have? Safely home, she accused Daz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press. In 1895, Elizabeth retired from writing and married Robert Livingston Seaman. 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). In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. 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. How many siblings did Angelina Grimke have? Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. How many children did Abigail Adams have? She was a pioneer in investigative journalism. Michael Cochran began his career in the mills outside Pittsburgh, until he was able to earn enough to buy the mill. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! 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. The New York World completely supported her ambitious feat. Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by Ian L. Munro in New York City in 1887. Bolstered by continuous coverage in the World, Bly earned international stardom for her months-long stunt, and her fame continued to grow after she safely returned to her native state and her record-setting achievement was announced. Answer and Explanation: Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). 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. claimed that women were best served by conducting domestic duties and called the working woman "a monstrosity." Corrections? At the age of 15, she enrolled in the State Normal School in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and an added an e to her last name to sound more distinguished. What does that mean, and how did her writing contribute to reform efforts on a variety of issues? During her early journalism career, Bly wrote Six Months in Mexico (1888), which describes her time as a foreign correspondent in Mexico in 1885. How many brothers and sisters did Ella Baker have? Her image was used on everything from playing cards to board games. By Barbara Maranzani Updated: Nov 12, 2020. 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. 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 . 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. How many siblings did Victoria Woodhull have? Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran (she later added an "e" to the end of her name) on May 5, 1864, in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania. Death date: January 27, 1922. Aspiring for a more meaningful career, she travelled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent. She completed circumnavigating the world in just 72 days and recorded her travel experiences in a book titled Around the World in 72 Days. In this lesson, students will experience the tragedy of the commons through a team activity in which they compete for resources. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. Her reporting on life in the asylum shocked the public and led to increased funding to improve conditions in the institution. 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. 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. Nellie (her pen name) is the best known of these children, and there is not much information about her 14 siblings. Young Elizabeth attended boarding school but just for a term before dropping out due to insufficient funds. One of her first undertakings for that paper was to get herself committed to the asylum on Blackwells (now Roosevelt) Island by feigning insanity. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. 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. [15] In one report, she protested the imprisonment of a local journalist for criticizing the Mexican government, then a dictatorship under Porfirio Daz. One of the protagonist's adventures in the 2003 film "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" is meeting Nellie Bly (Donna Wright) on a train. How many children did Coretta Scott King have? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. 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. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. How many children did Catherine Parr have? Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist, World Traveler. Nellie Bly embarked on her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey, travelling first by ship but later by other vehicles. For the first 20 or so years of her life, Nellie Bly was known not as Nellie, nor as Elizabeth Jane Cochran, which was her birth name, but as "Pink," due to her fondness for the color, according to New World Encyclopedia. She moved back to Pittsburgh to help her mother run a boarding house. However, Bly became increasingly limited in her work at the Pittsburgh Dispatch after her editors moved her to its women's page, and she aspired to find a more meaningful career. How many siblings did Althea Gibson have? Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. 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. To escape writing about womens issues on the society page, Elizabeth volunteered to travel to Mexico. [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. When she returned, she was again assigned to the society page and promptly quit in protest. [49], During the 1990s, playwright Lynn Schrichte wrote and toured Did You Lie, Nellie Bly?, a one-woman show about Bly. Blys husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and. American investigative journalist (18641922), Elizabeth Cochran, "Nellie Bly," aged about 26. From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds, setting a new world record. Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum. 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. After her return, she toured the country as a lecturer. She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City. How many siblings did Mary Todd Lincoln have? Seaman died in 1904. Nellie Bly was the most famous American woman reporter of the 19th century. At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. Kroeger, Brooke. All rights reserved. Nellie Bly married manufacturer Robert Seaman in 1895. 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. How many siblings did Queen Victoria have? Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee: giving an account of her call to preach the gospel, frontispiece. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. How many siblings did Coretta Scott King have? Elizabeths boss did not want to anger Pittsburghs elite and quickly reassigned her as a society columnist. Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. How many children did Catherine of Aragon have? Those words, describing New York City's most notorious mental institution, were written by journalist Nellie Bly in 1887. 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. 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. 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. Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. 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. Elizabeth Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania. A fireboat named Nellie Bly operated in Toronto, Canada, in the first decade of the 20th century. 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 . 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. 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. At the . 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. Her favorite color is pink. In the piece, writer Erasmus Wilson (known to Dispatch readers as the "Quiet Observer," or Q.O.) How many brothers and sisters did Jimmy Carter 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. Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. She also interviewed influential and controversial figures, including Emma Goldman in 1893. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. [2], Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born May 5, 1864,[3] in "Cochran's Mills", now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. 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. How many siblings did Sojourner Truth have? "Pink," as she was known in childhood, was the youngest of 13 (or 15, according . Bly, Nellie. Into the Madhouse with Nellie Bly: Girl Stunt Reporting in the Late Nineteenth Century America. American Quarterly, 54 no 2. Second, she wanted to prove that women were capable of traveling just as well asif not better thanmen. She was one of 15 children. How many siblings did James Meredith have? 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. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Modernizing America, 1889-1920 / Modern Womanhood / Life Story: Nellie Bly. Shortly after her first article was published, Elizabeth changed her pseudonym from Lonely Orphan Girl to Nellie Bly, after a popular song. 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. 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. [22], Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. How many siblings did Sybil Ludington have? Nellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days. Senator John Heinz History Center. Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Her sharply critical articles angered Mexican officials and caused her expulsion from the country. This lesson will teach you about Nellie Bly, her adventures, her inventions, and why she wrote under a fake name! How many siblings did Dorothy Height have? Her honest reporting about the horrors of workers lives attracted negative attention from local factory owners. Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. The evening world. Portrait of Nellie Bly. On the final lap of her journey, the World transported her from San Francisco to New York by special train; she was greeted everywhere by brass bands, fireworks, and like panoply. This prompted Elizabeth to write a response 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. 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. 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. In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. One can only speculate what further triumphs and good deeds this remarkable woman might have achieved if only she lived a few years longer. Just two years after reviving her writing career, on January 27, 1922, Bly died from pneumonia in New York City. The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. Elizabeth knew that she would need to support herself financially. Between 1889 and 1895 she wrote eleven novels. 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. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. The park reopened in 2007[71] under new management, renamed "Adventurers Amusement Park". How many siblings did Frances Hodgson Burnett have? Her trip only took 72 days, which set a world record. Her investigation of conditions at an insane asylum sparked outrage, legal action, and improvements of the treatment of the mentally ill. In response to an article in the. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. It was no mere armchair observation, because Bly got herself committed . 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. 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. He later became a merchant, postmaster, and associate justice at Cochran's Mills (which was named after him) in Pennsylvania. Kroeger, Brooke. 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].