People and Organizations That Steel Our Heart

Nellie Bly

Born in 1864, Elizabeth Cochran was set to grow up as any woman in the 1860s did, and that life was not supposed to include professional work. She was born into privilege; her hometown of Cochran’s Mills was named after her father. She had 14 other siblings and was considered the most rebellious. However, when her father died he left no will, and before too long the family had to sell everything they owned just to scrape by. Her mother remarried and moved to Pittsburgh, where Elizabeth attended school for one semester and helped run a boarding house. Still, she could not find a job to help support her mother. When she was 21 she wrote a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch in which she criticized a previous article for its lack of support and indifference towards women’s rights. The editor was so impressed with her writing and her attitude that he hired her as a journalist. Since one of the only professions open to women at the time was teaching, this was a huge step for young Elizabeth. She then became Nellie Bly, named after the Stephen Foster song. She was a journalist who preferred controversial topics more than anything else. She was a champion for minorities and the less privileged.

Nellie became a local household name writing about the working conditions of women in the factories and advocating for a change in women’s divorce rights. The Dispatch allowed her to go to Mexico, where she reported on the daily lives of the Mexican people. When she returned to Pittsburgh, she found herself confined to traditional women’s stories such as cooking or flowers. Wanting to make more of an impact, Nellie left her post in Pittsburgh for a more lucrative position in New York City, where she would become a nationally reknowned reporter.

After six months, Nellie found work with the New York World. Her first assignment was to go undercover as a mentally ill woman for 10 days at a local insane asylum. When her story was published, it outlined countless cases of cruelty, abuse, and neglect. Her story prompted a public outcry and helped to change the practices of mental hospitals. It was at this point that she introduced a new kind of journalism: investigative reporting.

Her fame soared when she took on an assignment that challenged Jules Verne’s character Phileas Fogg, who traveled around the world in 80 days. Nellie charged that she could do it in less time, and set off to challenge a fictional character. She traveled alone and had only her satchel and jacket, which would become her trademark look. She even met Jules Verne and his wife while visiting France. Mrs. Verne jokingly remarked that Nellie would make her husband’s heroes foolish. Indeed, Nellie returned to New York in 72 days and 6 hours. She had solidified her place not only in journalism but in the hearts of Americans everywhere.

Nellie married an industrial millionaire when she was 30. She wasn’t a typical housewife, however. She helped manage her husband’s business until he died 10 years later, at which point she took over as president. After the business went under because of embezzlement, Nellie returned to journalism and became the first female journalist to go to the front lines of World War I. She was briefly imprisoned in Europe, mistaken for a spy. However, when the translator learned her name she was immediately released – even British translators knew who she was.

Nellie continued to report and investigate controversial issues until she died of pneumonia at the age of 58. Nellie Bly, a Pittsburgh native, made it possible for other women to enter the professional world. She raised awareness of injustices everywhere through her passion and determination. Once a rebellious child, she grew up to be one of the most popular journalists of her time, and forever changed the way news is reported.

McCollum, Sean. “Nellie Bly: Daredevil Reporter.” Junior Scholastic. Online edition.
            http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4961.

“Nellie Bly.” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/world/peopleevents/pande01.html.

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