She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922). She was satisfied to know that her work led to change. She stayed there until the World rescued her ten days later. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. [48], Bly was the subject of the 1946 Broadway musical Nellie Bly by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. The editor, Joseph Pulitzer, declined that story, but he challenged Bly to investigate one of New Yorks most notorious mental asylums, Blackwells Island. National Women's History Museum, 2022. [72], A large species of tarantula from Ecuador, Pamphobeteus nellieblyae Sherwood et al., 2022, was named in her honour by arachnologists.[73]. In 1885, Bly began working as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Dispatch at a rate of $5 per week. 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. How many siblings did Frances Hodgson Burnett have? New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. In the piece, writer Erasmus Wilson (known to Dispatch readers as the "Quiet Observer," or Q.O.) Nellie Bly died of pneumonia when she was 57. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. Nellie lived on a big farm with her parents Michael Cochran and Mary Kane and her siblings. [26] She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Ten Days in the Madhouse. 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. Kroeger, Brooke. While still working as a writer, Bly died from pneumonia on January 27, 1922. 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". 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. Within her lifetime, Nellie Bly published three non-fiction books (compilations of her newspaper reportage) and one novel in book form. However, after only a year and a half, Elizabeth ran out of money and could no longer afford the tuition. How many siblings did Queen Elizabeth I have? Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane; Nellie Bly was her pen name and the name under which she is most well-known. His farm, mill, and the surrounding area became known as "Cochran's Mill" (part of a suburb of Pittsburgh). [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. She had several siblings and half-siblings. 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. In 2015, director Timothy Hines released 10 Days in a Madhouse, which also depicts Bly's harrowing experience in the asylum. [46] The Girl Puzzle opened to the public in December, 2021. The town was founded by her father, Michael Cochran, who provided for his family by working as a judge and landowner. The story of an investigative journalist who used her career to shed light on the horrors of urban life and break gender stereotypes. Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? Also, her 1889 record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, was a historic move for a woman at that time. The New York World published daily updates on her journey and the entire country followed her story. [54] A fictionalized version of Bly as a mouse named Nellie Brie appears as a central character in the animated children's film An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster. She also became renowned for her investigative and undercover reporting, including posing as a sweatshop worker to expose poor working conditions faced by women. 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. She was the daughter of Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran (second wife). Unfortunately, Bly did not manage the finances well and fell victim to fraud by employees that led the firm to declare bankruptcy. At a time when a womans contribution to a newspaper was generally confined to the womens pages, Cochrane was given a rare opportunity to report on wider issues. When Bly was six, her father died suddenly and without a will. [53] In 2019, the Center for Investigative Reporting released Nellie Bly Makes the News, a short animated biographical film. At the . At 15, Bly enrolled at the State Normal School in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Her report on the horrifyingly conditions inside the asylum led to numerous reforms in the living condition of the mental patients. 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 report on a mental institution from within. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. Bly crafted a fiery rebuttal that grabbed the attention of the paper's managing editor, George Madden, who, in turn, offered her a position. 1. [1] She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. How many siblings did Eleanor Roosevelt have? Elizabeth traveled light, taking only the dress she wore, a cape, and a small travelers bag. She wanted to write a story on the immigrant experience in the United States. The evening world. She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. Patents 808,327 and 808,413). [11], Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. "Pink Cochrane" was a great name, but almost every woman journalist writing in the 19th century used a pseudonym. [41], In 1998, Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. [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. Shortly after her first article was published, Elizabeth changed her pseudonym from Lonely Orphan Girl to Nellie Bly, after a popular song. In 1887, Bly stormed into the office of the New York World, one of the leading newspapers in the country. Madden immediately offered her a job as a columnist. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. How many siblings did Louisa May Alcott have? Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee: giving an account of her call to preach the gospel, frontispiece. 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. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. How many siblings did St. Catherine of Siena have? How many siblings did Deborah Sampson have? Cochrans editor chose the name Nelly Bly from a Stephen Foster song. Nellie Bly PBS: American Experience, Accessed 23 March 23, 2017 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/world/peopleevents/pande01.html, Life Story: Elizabeth Cochrane, aka Nellie Bly (1864-1922), Women & The American Story, New-York Historical Society Library and Museum, https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/nellie-bly/. Feb. 1, 2000; Accessed April 27, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601472. Bernard, Karen. [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). Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center. READ MORE: Inside Nellie Blys 10 Days in a Madhouse. Safely home, she accused Daz of being a tyrannical czar suppressing the Mexican people and controlling the press. 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. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. 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 a ten-day stay at the asylum, it was at the behest of the newspaper that Bly was freed. How many siblings did Victoria Woodhull have? She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. The column, which appeared in The Dispatch on February 1, 1885, was bylined "Nellie Bly.". 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. A number of positive changes were made after the release of the book. She uncovered the abuse of women by male police officers, identified an employment agency that was stealing from immigrants, and exposed corrupt politicians. As was the trend then, women writers wrote under pen names. In 1895, Bly married millionaire industrialist Robert Seaman, who was 40 years her senior, and she became legally known as Elizabeth Jane Cochrane Seaman. 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. 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. How many siblings did Rosalind Franklin have? [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. episode "Jack's Back". [57], Bly has been the subject of two episodes of the Comedy Central series Drunk History. Elizabeth Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mills, Pennsylvania. One can only speculate what further triumphs and good deeds this remarkable woman might have achieved if only she lived a few years longer. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochrans Mill, Pennsylvania. In 1904, when her husband died, Bly took over the reign of the company. How many sisters did Charles Dickens have? [42] Bly was one of four journalists honored with a US postage stamp in a "Women in Journalism" set in 2002. Her report of the horrifyingly appalling conditions prevailing inside the asylum was an eye-opener for the general public and authorities alike. 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. [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. She was 57 years of age. The show ran for 16 performances. Answer and Explanation: Nellie Bly had 14 siblings (10 half-siblings; 4 full blooded siblings). How many children did Catherine of Aragon have? Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. On May 5, 2015, the Google search engine produced an interactive "Google Doodle" for Bly; for the "Google Doodle" Karen O wrote, composed, and recorded an original song about Bly, and Katy Wu created an animation set to Karen O's music. New-York Historical Society. How many siblings did James Meredith have? How many siblings did Mother Teresa have? Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. However, he also misspelled the name, and she became Nellie Bly.. Writing for a newspaper wasn't considered "ladylike," and a fake name provided a veil of respectability between writer and public. In it, she explained that New York City invested more money into care for the mentally ill after her articles were published. Unable to maintain the land or their house, Bly's family left Cochran's Mill. 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. Elizabeth knew that she would need to support herself financially. Pace, Lawson. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. "[18] She then traveled to Mexico to serve as a foreign correspondent, spending nearly half a year reporting on the lives and customs of the Mexican people; her dispatches later were published in book form as Six Months in Mexico.