Nellie Bly: The Journalist Who Pretended To Be Insane To Get Into A She went undercover to expose an insane asylums horrors. Though most of her works were based on throwing light at the appalling condition of women in the society, and the need to uplift them, she is best remembered for her work on an asylum expos in 1887 in which she faked insanity to get into a mental asylum and reported about the horrific condition of the mental patients. 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. New York, Nellie Bly Press, 2017. [citation needed] The character of Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in American Horror Story: Asylum is inspired by Bly's experience in the asylum. Conduct a close examination of. Nellie Bly was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mill, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth marched into the Dispatch offices and introduced herself. June 7, 1999. She met Jules Verne at his home in France. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [33] Bly was 31 and Seaman was 73 when they married. Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, ca. Ten Days in a Mad-House is a book by American journalist Nellie Bly. How many children did Abigail Adams have? Lib. After her return, she toured the country as a lecturer. How many brothers and sisters did Ella Baker have? Once examined by a police officer, a judge, and a doctor, Bly was taken to Blackwell's Island. How many siblings did Marie Antoinette have? [16] Cochrane originally intended that her pseudonym be "Nelly Bly", but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Activist journalists like Elizabethcommonly known as muckrakerswere an important part of reform movements. Elizabeth Jane Cochran, a.k.a. Before becoming an investigative journalist and travelling around the world in 72 days, Nellie Bly had a childhood. How many siblings did Nellie Bly have? | Homework.Study.com Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Amid their grief, Michael's death presented a grave financial detriment to his family, as he left them without a will, and, thus, no legal claim to his estate. 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. [14] It was customary for women who were newspaper writers at that time to use pen names. Nellie Bly tied the nuptial knot in 1895 with the millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman. In 1888, inspired by Jules Vernes 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days, Bly aimed to turn the fictional tale into reality. 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. 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". Nicols Enrquez de Vargas (artist), Portrait of Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, ca. How many siblings did Dorothy Vaughan have? In 1880, the family moved to Pittsburgh where Elizabeth supported her single mother by running a boarding house. In 1911, she returned to journalism as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. 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. 1893-1894. [19] When Mexican authorities learned of Bly's report, they threatened her with arrest, prompting her to flee the country. How many siblings did Florence Nightingale have? Nellie (her pen name) is the best known of these children, and there is not much information about her 14 siblings. Goodman, Matthew. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Modernizing America, 1889-1920 / Modern Womanhood / Life Story: Nellie Bly. of Congress. world attention to journalist Nellie Bly with his Nellie Bly - Wikipedia [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. How many children did Catherine Parr have? History 101: Nellie Bly. How many siblings did Rachel Carson have? 10 Days in a Madhouse (2015) - IMDb She left the newspaper industry after her marriage to serve as the president of her husbands company, Iron Clad Manufacturing Co. As a social reformer she gave over-the-top perks to her employees but the scheme cost the company so dearly that it went bankrupt. [11], Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City. How many siblings did Queen Liliuokalani have? Elizabeths report about Blackwells Island earned her a permanent position as an investigative journalist for the World. "Pink," as she was known in childhood, was the youngest of 13 (or 15, according . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. During her early journalism career, Bly wrote Six Months in Mexico (1888), which describes her time as a foreign correspondent in Mexico in 1885. He later became a merchant, postmaster, and associate justice at Cochran's Mills (which was named after him) in Pennsylvania. [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. Seaman died in 1904, and Bly took over his firm, the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mill, Pennsylvania. As was the trend then, women writers wrote under pen names. With Caroline Barry, Christopher Lambert, Kelly LeBrock, Julia Chantrey. How many brothers and sisters did Harriet Tubman have? Her report was compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), and led to lasting institutional reforms. From France she went to Italy and Egypt, through South Asia to Singapore and Japan, then to San Francisco and back to New York. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Who Is Dilbert Cartoonist Scott Adams? Her reporting on life in the asylum shocked the public and led to increased funding to improve conditions in the institution. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. Nellie Bly was ousted from Mexico after she ran a series of articles criticizing the Mexican dictator and ruler, Porfirio Diaz. She was far and away the best-known woman journalist of her day. Her world tour made her a celebrity. Search results for "The Babysitter Chronicles" at Rakuten Kobo. She is also well-known for making a trip around the world for a record 72 days, beating a fictitious record that had been set by . How many siblings does Katherine Johnson have? How many sisters did Ernest Shackleton have? Her father, Michael Cochran, owned a lucrative mill and served as associate justice of Armstrong County. [22], Committed to the asylum, Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. Following her marriage, she retired from journalism and became the president of her husbands Iron Clad Manufacturing Company. She had several siblings and half-siblings. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Nellie Bly died of pneumonia when she was 57. 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]. Furthermore, her hands-on approach to reporting developed into a practice now called investigative journalism. 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 siblings did Queen Victoria have? Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today. 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). Around the World in 72 Days | American Experience | PBS How many siblings did Sophie Germain have? Also around this time, she retired from journalism, and by all accounts, the couple enjoyed a happy marriage. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. After her ten-days-in-a-madhouse stunt and her circumnavigation of the globefeats that would make her a household nameshe went on to do many other things. It was there that she added an e to her last name, becoming Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. Her plan was to graduate and find a position as a teacher. [32] In 1893, though still writing novels, she returned to reporting for the World. How many siblings did James Meredith have? First, she wanted to beat the record set in the popular fictional world tour from Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days. In it, she explores the country's people and customs, and even stumbles upon marijuana. How many siblings did Eleanor of Aquitaine have? What was nellie blys favorite color? The articles were subsequently collected in Six Months in Mexico (1888). Ten Little-Known Facts about Nellie Bly - Tonya Mitchell Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. How many siblings did Elizabeth Blackwell have? Ten Days in a Mad-House was a raging success and brought Nellie Bly immense fame and recognition as a writer and civil rights activist. Watch Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story on Lifetime Movie Club. The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. [citation needed] Julia Duffy appeared as Bly in the July 10, 1983 Voyagers! 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. ", Lutes, Jean Marie. Bernard, Karen. https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/learn/women-forging-way/nellie-bly-around-the-world, Ten Days in the Madhouse. A Celebration of Women Writers. How many brothers did Susan B. Anthony have? 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. New York: Crown, 1994. At the . no. She was 57 years old. Fashion Philosophy Special: Nellie Bly - College Fashion "[22] She refused to go to bed and eventually scared so many of the other boarders that the police were called to take her to the nearby courthouse. siblings: Harry Cummings Cochrane. She also prioritized the welfare of the employees, providing health care benefits and recreational facilities. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She was six years old when her beloved father died without warning, and without a will, plunging his once wealthy and respected family into poverty and shame. 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. 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. 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. Shortly after her first article was published, Elizabeth changed her pseudonym from Lonely Orphan Girl to Nellie Bly, after a popular song. 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. While in charge of the company, Bly put her social reforms into action and Iron Clad employees enjoyed several perks unheard of at the time, including fitness gyms, libraries and healthcare. [13] Her first article for the Dispatch, titled "The Girl Puzzle", argued that not all women would marry and that what was needed were better jobs for women. Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. With Christina Ricci, Judith Light, Josh Bowman, Anja Savcic. Unscrupulous employees bilked the firm of hundreds of thousands of dollars, troubles compounded by protracted and costly bankruptcy litigation. [74], Cover of the 1890 board game Round the World with Nellie Bly. READ MORE: Inside Nellie Blys 10 Days in a Madhouse. Male 4 November 1848-29 June 1903 LHVT-N79.