Nellie Bly

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Cochran, but my family always called me 'Pink.' I was born on May 5th, 1864, in a small Pennsylvania town called Cochran's Mills, which was named right after my father! Ever since I was little, I was a curious child who loved to ask questions about everything. In those days, most people believed that a girl's main purpose was to get married and take care of a home, but I knew I wanted something more for my life. I saw many unfair things happening in the world around me, and I felt a strong desire to do something to help make things better. My big chance to speak up came in 1885 when I read an article in the newspaper that made me so angry, I just had to write a letter to the editor to tell him exactly how wrong he was.

To my surprise, the editor of the newspaper, the Pittsburgh Dispatch, was so impressed with my fiery letter that he offered me a job as a writer. This was very unusual at the time, and since it wasn't common for women to write for newspapers, I needed a special name to write under—what's called a pen name. I chose the name 'Nellie Bly,' which I took from a popular song. As a reporter, I wasn't interested in writing about parties or fashion like many other female writers. Instead, I went undercover to write stories about the difficult lives of women who worked long hours in factories. I wanted to give a voice to people who didn't have one and show the world the truth about their struggles. But I knew that to tell even bigger stories, I needed to go to a bigger city.

In 1887, I moved to New York City and began working for a very famous newspaper called the New York World, which was run by a man named Joseph Pulitzer. For my very first big assignment, I decided to do something no one had ever dared to do before. I pretended to be mentally ill so that I could be sent to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. I had heard terrible rumors about how the patients were treated there, and I wanted to find out if they were true. They were. The food was disgusting, the water was dirty, and many of the nurses were cruel to the patients. I stayed there for ten days, carefully observing everything. When I was finally released, I wrote a huge story detailing everything I had witnessed. My articles were later published as a book called Ten Days in a Mad-House, and they shocked the entire city. Because of my report, big changes were made to help the people living in the asylum.

After my asylum story, I was ready for a new and completely different kind of adventure. I was inspired by a very popular book at the time called Around the World in Eighty Days, which was about a fictional character who traveled the globe. I boldly told my editor that I could beat that make-believe record in real life! On November 14th, 1889, I set off on my journey from New Jersey with just one small bag of clothes. I traveled on fast steamships and rickety trains, crossing entire oceans and continents. My journey took me to England, France, where I even met Jules Verne, the author of the book that inspired me! I also visited Egypt, China, and Japan. Everyone back home in America was reading the newspaper to follow my progress. On January 25th, 1890, I arrived back in New York. I had circled the entire globe in just 72 days, setting a new world record!

My life continued to be full of exciting surprises. In 1895, I married a wealthy businessman named Robert Seaman and took a break from writing to help him run his companies. I discovered that I also had a mind for inventing! I even received patents, which are special rights for inventors, for a new kind of milk can and a stacking garbage can. Sadly, after my husband passed away, I decided to return to my first love: journalism. When World War I began in Europe, I traveled straight to the front lines to report on the fighting. I became one of the very first female war correspondents, proving once again that a woman could do any job that a man could do.

I lived to be 57 years old. Throughout my life, I always tried to be a voice for people who couldn't speak for themselves and to show that one person can make a difference if they are brave enough to ask tough questions and search for the truth. Today, people remember me as a pioneer of investigative journalism—a 'muckraker' who dug up the truth to help others. I hope my stories inspire you to be curious, courageous, and to always stand up for what you believe is right.