Around The World With Nellie Bly

Inspired by the Jules Verne novel, it only takes Elizabeth Cochran 72 days to circle the globe and make history!!

Elizabeth Cochran, aka Nellie Bly, in a publicity photo the day before her departure.

January 25, 1890

New York World reporter Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, known by her pen name Nellie Bly, arrives back in New York City after completing a 24,899 mile trip around the world in only 72 days. Her trip was inspired by the popular Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days, and was the fastest recorded circumnavigation of the globe at that time. Talk about girl power!

When Elizabeth (or Nellie) first proposed the idea to her editor, he reportedly told her,
”only a man could make such a trip.” Undeterred and motivated even further, Elizabeth reportedly replied, "Very well, start the man, and I'll start the same day for some other newspaper and I will beat him."

Her editor conceded and off she went. Don’t you think the poor guy already realized he was going to have to eat a little crow? Turns out that her editor made the right decision, as reports of her travels captivated the world and the New York World was selling papers faster than they could printed.

The reason Elizabeth had this kind of clout with the newspaper was due to her star past reporting and name recognition. Going undercover in 1887, she had herself committed to a New York City mental ward in an effort to expose the horrible conditions imposed on the patients. This was groundbreaking journalism for the day, made only more significant since it was a woman taking these kinds of risks.

At the age of 30, Bly married millionaire Robert Seamen and retired from journalism. Bly’s husband died in 1903, leaving her in control of the massive Iron Clad Manufacturing Company and American Steel Barrel Company. In business, her curiosity and independent spirit flourished. Bly went on to patent several inventions related to oil manufacturing, many of which are still used today.

As is the case with many of my posts, I have only scratched the surface of the amazing life of Elizabeth Cochran Seaman. If you have time, do a search on Elizabeth and get to know her story a little better.

Thanks for reading Ex Animo.