History Focus
November 143

On November 14,1889, she set out to travel around the world in less than 80 days. Inspired by Jules Verne, New York "World" reporter Nellie Bly succeeded in making the trip in 72 days.

In an era of Victorian reserve, she would become a household name by doing things a woman wasn't supposed to do, and became a symbol of American pride and power.

Around the World in 72 days!

Prior to her famous trip, Nellie Bly had already made a name for herself as one of Joseph Pulitzer's top reporters. She went about documenting the lives of America's growing underclass. Her exploits excited readers and earned her a reputation for fearlessness. Her methods changed the way news was gathered. The first story to mark her fame and abilities was a harrowing account of her experience inside a madhouse.

On a dare from the editor of Pulitzer's New York World, Nellie, masquerading as a madwoman, spent ten terrifying days in the most notorious mental asylum in New York City--the women's asylum on Blackwell's Island. Her exposé of the cruel and even life-threatening treatment she and other patients endured shook the city to its foundation and was reprinted nationwide. The series resulted in increased funds to improve conditions at the asylum, and earned Bly instant renown, as well as grudging respect from her newspaper colleagues. Never before had a journalist gone to such lengths to pursue a story. The new brand of undercover, investigative reporting would continue to grab headlines for another ten years.

The New York World immediately recognized her ability and appeal. Over the next two years they sent Bly undercover in countless guises: a domestic employee, a chorus girl, an unwed mother. Other papers saw the benefit in this type of journalism and hired their own "stunt girls." None could outdo Bly's style and derring-do. By the age of twenty-three, Nellie Bly was famous and loved by her readers. What stunt could Nellie do next to WOW the world?

Wearing what would become her trademark checkered coat and carrying a single bag, Bly set out on November 14, 1889, to race around the world.    For seventy-two days, she jumped cargo ships, trains, tugboats, and rickshaws. Her newspaper readers  followed her progress in one of the most highly-publicized journeys of all time. She circled the globe, outdoing the "record" of eighty days set by Jules Verne's popular fictional character, the legendary Phileas T. Fogg.

Despite numerous perils, Bly said that she "would rather go back to New York dead than not a winner." She returned in triumph on January 25, 1890. Just twenty-five years old, Bly was the most famous woman on earth.

Sources:
| On This Day Crescent books
| The shell Book of Firsts |