author
Nellie Bly
1864–1922
Best known for going undercover to expose abuse in a New York asylum and for circling the globe in just 72 days, this trailblazing reporter helped define investigative journalism in America. Her work mixed nerve, curiosity, and a sharp eye for injustice.
3 Audiobooks
About the author
Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Pennsylvania, Nellie Bly became one of the most famous journalists of the late 19th century. She first drew attention with bold reporting for the Pittsburgh Dispatch, then built her reputation in New York, where she took on assignments few reporters would attempt.
She is especially remembered for pretending to be mentally ill in order to investigate conditions inside the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, reporting that helped expose cruelty and neglect. She also achieved international fame after traveling around the world in 72 days, a real-life feat inspired by Jules Verne’s fictional journey.
Later in life, Bly married industrialist Robert Seaman and spent time running his company after his death before returning to journalism. Her books include Ten Days in a Mad-House and Around the World in Seventy-Two Days, and her fearless, first-person reporting still feels lively and modern more than a century later.