Nellie Bly facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Nellie Bly
Cochran circa 1890
Born	Elizabeth Jane Cochran (1864-05-05)May 5, 1864 Burrell Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 27, 1922(1922-01-27) (aged 57) New York City, U.S.
Pen name	Nellie Bly (her most famous pen-name)
Occupation	Journalist writer inventor
Language	English
Notable awards	National Women's Hall of Fame (1998)
Spouse	Robert Seaman (m. 1895; died 1904)
Signature

Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), known to the world as Nellie Bly, was a brave American journalist. She became famous for two amazing feats. First, she traveled around the world in just 72 days, inspired by Jules Verne's book, setting a new record! Second, she went undercover to report on a hospital for people with mental health challenges. Her work helped change how news was reported and showed how powerful immersion journalism could be.

Early Life and Education
A Career in Journalism Begins
Her Final Years
Lasting Legacy and Honors
- Inspiring Stories in Media
- Places and Things Named After Nellie
Nellie Bly's Published Works
Images for kids
See Also

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born on May 5, 1864, in Pennsylvania, USA. Her father, Michael Cochran, was a successful businessman. He owned a mill and was a postmaster. Sadly, he passed away when Elizabeth was only six years old.

As a child, Elizabeth was often called "Pink" because she loved wearing that color. When she became a teenager, she wanted to seem more grown-up. She changed her last name to Cochrane. In 1879, she attended Indiana Normal School for a short time. However, she had to leave because her family ran out of money. In 1880, her mother moved the family to Allegheny City, which is now part of Pittsburgh.

A Career in Journalism Begins

Portrait of a 21-year-old Bly in Mexico

Starting at the Pittsburgh Dispatch

In 1885, Elizabeth read an article in the Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper. It said that girls were only good for having children and taking care of the house. This made her upset, so she wrote a strong letter in response. She signed it "Lonely Orphan Girl." The editor, George Madden, was very impressed. He asked her to write for the newspaper.

Her first article, "The Girl Puzzle," argued that women needed better job opportunities. Her second article, "Mad Marriages," discussed how marriage problems affected women. It suggested changes to divorce laws. For this article, she used the pen name Nellie Bly. This name came from a popular song. Her editor accidentally spelled "Nelly" as "Nellie," and the name stuck! Madden offered her a full-time job.

Reporting on Working Women

Nellie Bly's early work focused on the lives of women who worked in factories. She went undercover as a poor woman to get a job in a copper factory. This allowed her to see the difficult working conditions firsthand. Her articles showed the hidden truths about factories. Factory owners complained, so the newspaper moved her to cover fashion and gardening. Nellie was only 21 and wanted to do more important work.

She then traveled to Mexico as a foreign correspondent. For almost six months, she reported on the lives of the Mexican people. Her stories were later published in a book called Six Months in Mexico. In one report, she criticized the Mexican government for jailing a journalist. When authorities threatened to arrest her, she had to leave the country. Back home, she spoke out against the government's control over the press.

Exposing Conditions at the Asylum

The New York City Mental Health Hospital on Blackwell's Island, circa 1893

Illustration of Bly being examined by a psychiatrist, from Ten Days in a Mad-House

In 1887, Nellie Bly moved to New York City. She struggled to find a job because many editors didn't want to hire a woman. After four months, she convinced Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper, the New York World, to give her a chance. She took on a dangerous undercover assignment. She agreed to pretend to have mental health issues to investigate reports of poor treatment at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island.

To get admitted, Nellie acted strangely at a boarding house. She told people that others were "crazy." The police were called, and after being examined, she was sent to the asylum. Once inside, Nellie experienced the terrible conditions herself. She saw that patients, especially poor or immigrant women, received very little care. Even after she stopped pretending to be unwell, her requests to leave were denied.

After ten days, the newspaper arranged for her release. Her report, published in 1887 and later as a book called Ten Days in a Mad-House, caused a huge stir. It led to important changes at the asylum and made Nellie famous. At just 23 years old, Nellie Bly showed the world the power of investigative journalism. She helped many women who were not being treated fairly.

Racing Around the World

A publicity photograph taken by the New York World newspaper to promote Bly's around-the-world voyage

In 1888, Nellie had an exciting idea. She wanted to travel around the world, just like the character Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's book, Around the World in Eighty Days. On November 14, 1889, with only two days' notice, she began her journey. She boarded a steamer ship called the Augusta Victoria. Her trip would cover 24,898 miles (40,070 kilometers).

To keep readers interested, the New York World held a "Nellie Bly Guessing Match." Readers tried to guess her exact arrival time. Nellie traveled through England, France (where she met Jules Verne!), Italy, the Suez Canal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.

A woodcut image of Nellie Bly's homecoming reception in Jersey City printed in Frank Leslie's Illustrated News on February 8, 1890

Nellie arrived back in New York on January 25, 1890. She completed her trip in just over 72 days! She had traveled almost the entire journey alone. This set a new world record for traveling around the globe. Her amazing adventure made her even more famous.

Writing Books and Later Adventures

After her world trip, Nellie Bly wrote many exciting stories. She wrote eleven novels for a weekly paper called New York Family Story Paper. These books were thought to be lost for a long time. But in 2021, they were found again!

Patent for an improved milk can

Bly speaking to a military officer in Poland during World War I circa 1914

In 1895, Nellie married Robert Seaman, a wealthy manufacturer. She was 31, and he was 73. She left journalism to help run her husband's company, Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. They made steel containers like milk cans. After her husband passed away in 1904, Nellie became the head of the company. She was one of the leading women in industry in the United States. She even invented new designs for a milk can and a stacking garbage can! However, due to some financial problems, the company eventually went out of business.

Nellie returned to journalism. In 1913, she covered the Woman Suffrage Procession. She correctly predicted that women in the United States would get the right to vote in 1920. During World War I, she reported from Europe's Eastern Front. She was one of the first women and foreigners to visit the war zone.

Her Final Years

Bly's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery

Nellie Bly passed away from pneumonia on January 27, 1922, in New York City. She was 57 years old. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

Lasting Legacy and Honors

Nellie Bly's courage and groundbreaking journalism left a lasting mark.

Inspiring Stories in Media

Her life has inspired many creative works.

In 1946, a Broadway musical called Nellie Bly was created.
Plays like Did You Lie, Nellie Bly? have been performed.
An opera based on her asylum experience premiered in 2023.
She has been featured in films such as The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981) and 10 Days in a Madhouse (2015).
A fictional mouse character named Nellie Brie in An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster was inspired by her.
In 2015, Google honored her with an interactive "Google Doodle" that included an original song about her.
Her story was adapted into a Doctor Who audio drama in 2021.
She is a character in many novels and comic books.
Nellie Bly is also featured in the popular book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Places and Things Named After Nellie

In 1998, Nellie Bly was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
In 2002, she was honored with a US postage stamp as part of a "Women in Journalism" set.
A memorial art installation called The Girl Puzzle was opened on Roosevelt Island in New York City in December 2021.

Nellie Bly depicted as part of The Girl Puzzle Monument Honoring Nellie Bly, by artist Amanda Matthews, located in Lighthouse Park on Roosevelt Island in New York City

The New York Press Club gives an annual Nellie Bly Cub Reporter journalism award to new journalists.
The Museum of Political Corruption gives a Nellie Bly award for investigative reporting each year.
An 1890 board game, Round the World with Nellie Bly, was named after her famous trip.
A former amusement park in Brooklyn, New York City, was named the Nellie Bly Amusement Park.
A large species of tarantula from Ecuador was named Pamphobeteus nellieblyae in 2022.
A fireboat in Toronto, Canada, and an express train in Pennsylvania were also named after her.

Nellie Bly's Published Works

Nellie Bly published several non-fiction books and many novels.

Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887)
Six Months in Mexico (1888)
The Mystery of Central Park (1889)
Nellie Bly's Book: Around the World in Seventy-Two Days (1890)

Between 1889 and 1895, she also wrote twelve novels for The New York Family Story Paper:

Eva The Adventuress (1889)
New York By Night (1890)
Alta Lynn, M.D. (1891)
Wayne's Faithful Sweetheart (1891)
Little Luckie, or Playing For Hearts (1892)
Dolly The Coquette (1892)
In Love With A Stranger, or Through Fire And Water To Win Him (1893)
The Love Of Three Girls (1893)
Little Penny, Child Of The Streets (1893)
Pretty Merribelle (1894)
Twins & Rivals (1895)

Images for kids

A steam tug named after Bly served as a fireboat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly