The Fearless Journalist
The name Nellie Bly was actually her journalist pseudonym. Her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, and she had already earned a reputation as being the world’s first investigative reporter. By the time this adventure began, Bly had already made headlines for her bold journalistic work.
Nellie Bly. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
In an early example of investigative journalism, she spent ten days in a madhouse to expose the cruelties experienced by those living in New York’s Blackwell’s Island insane asylum. Bly made a name for herself as a fearless journalist – a pioneer, not just for women, but for all reporters. In 1889, she took on another daring project, which attracted even more attention than her previous story: she decided to take a trip around the world.