Name: Elizabeth Jane
Surname: Cochrane
Pseudonym: Nellie Bly
Birth: Burrel (Pennsylvania), 5 May 1864
Profession: Journalist for various newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Dispatch, and later The New York World of Joseph Pulitzer. She was a pioneer of investigative journalism, going undercover in factories to expose the exploitation of female workers and infiltrating a mental asylum to report on the patients’ living conditions.
One Saturday night, around 3 AM, after an entire day spent searching for good ideas, exhausted and exasperated, she exclaimed: “I wish I were at the other end of the world!… I need a vacation—why not take a trip around the world?… If only I could be as fast as Phileas Fogg, I would leave immediately.” Even Jules Verne, though skeptical about her chances of success, wished her: “Good luck, Nellie Bly”.
On November 14, 1889, she departed from New York, boarding the Augusta Victoria, with 200 British pounds and some dollars in her pocket. After a week at sea, she landed in Southampton, passed through London, then embarked for Calais and reached Amiens via Le Club—France’s pride and the best-equipped train in Europe—where she fulfilled her dream of meeting Jules Verne and his wife. Traveling on a postal train, she reached Italy and then set sail for the East, crossing the Suez Canal. She arrived in Ceylon before boarding the Oriental on its maiden voyage to China, with stops at Prince of Wales Island (Penang), Singapore, Canton, and Hong Kong.
Returning to America, she traveled by train to New York, stopping in various cities along the way. In each, she was welcomed with ovations, marching bands, tributes of all kinds, and hundreds upon hundreds of handshakes, as well as a telegram from the Vernes.
© Vatican Apostolic Library
Women’s Rights Issue: “It’s an impossible undertaking for you,” was the harsh verdict of the newspaper’s managing editor. “First of all, you are a woman and would need a chaperone, and even if you could travel alone, you would have to carry so much luggage that it would slow down your rapid transfers.”
Yet, Nellie successfully completed her journey around the world in 72 days, breaking Phileas Fogg’s record. Her achievement was so remarkable that a board game was created to celebrate her adventures, which will be on display.
Next: Elizabeth Bisland