Chances are you’ve heard of the title Around the World in 80 Days, a fictional novel written by French author Jules Verne in 1873. It was about a man named Phileas Fogg, who took advantage of then-new 19th-century technologies to travel around the globe. Verne’s story was fictional, but thanks to a fearless journalist by the name of Nellie Bly, the trip around the world became a reality.
Nellie Bly. Photo by Courtesy Everett Collection, Shutterstock / Source: YouTube, Comedy Central
In 1889, Bly took it upon herself to make the voyage, on mainly steamships and trains. But while she knew exactly what she was doing – she wanted to beat the 80-day “record” – what she wasn’t aware of was that the worldly trip was actually a race. Bly unknowingly set out on what the world saw as a competition between her and a reporter from a rival publication, who also took on the challenge.
This is the story…