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Nellie Bly Timeline
(1864–1922)Nellie Bly (1864–1922), born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, was a groundbreaking American investigative journalist best known for her daring undercover exposé of a New York psychiatric hospital in 1887 and her record-setting trip around the world in 1889–1890, inspired by Jules Verne's 'Around the World in Eighty Days.' Her fearless reporting exposed corruption and injustice, helped reform mental health care, and paved the way for women in journalism. More Less
Early Life
Michael Cochran builds his fortune
1810
Her father, Michael Cochran, born about 1810, started as a laborer and mill worker before buying the local mill and most of the land surrounding the family farmhouse, providing the family with relative prosperity.
Image source: Nellie Bly
Birth of Elizabeth Jane Cochran
May 5, 1864
Elizabeth Jane Cochran, better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was born on May 5, 1864, in Cochran's Mills, now part of Burrell Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. She would grow up to become one of America's most celebrated investigative journalists.
Death of her father Michael Cochran
1870
Michael Cochran died in 1870, when Elizabeth was just 6 years old. His death left the family in difficult financial circumstances and shaped much of Elizabeth's early struggles.
Enrollment at Indiana Normal School
1879
In 1879, she enrolled at Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for one term but was forced to drop out due to lack of funds, cutting short her formal education.
Image source: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Family moves to Allegheny City
1880
In 1880, Cochrane's mother moved her family to Allegheny City, which was later annexed by the City of Pittsburgh, where Elizabeth would begin her path into journalism.
Image source: Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Death of Nellie Bly
Jan 27, 1922
Bly died of pneumonia on January 27, 1922, at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City. She was 57 years old, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering investigative journalist.
Journalism Career
"What Girls Are Good For" column sparks response
1885
In 1885, a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch titled "What Girls Are Good For" stated that girls were principally for birthing children and keeping house. Cochrane's fiery rebuttal to this piece launched her journalism career under the pen name Nellie Bly.
Image source: Pittsburgh Dispatch
Leaves Pittsburgh Dispatch for New York City
1887
Burdened again with theater and arts reporting, Bly left the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1887 for New York City, seeking greater opportunities in one of the nation's major newspaper markets.
Image source: New-York Tribune
Two-part series launches "Stunt girl" reporting era
Oct 1887
Her two-part series in October 1887 was a sensation, effectively launching the decade of "stunt" or "detective" reporting, a clear precursor to investigative journalism and one of Joseph Pulitzer's innovations that helped give "New Journalism" its moniker. The stunt girls, with Bly as their prototype, were the first women to enter the journalistic mainstream.
Undercover asylum exposé published
Oct 9, 1887
Her undercover report on a mental institution from within was published on October 9, 1887 and later released in book form as Ten Days in a Mad-House. It caused a sensation, prompted the asylum to implement reforms, and brought Bly lasting fame.
Image source: Ten Days in a Mad-House
Key Facts
- Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864, in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, taking her pen name from a Stephen Foster song.
- In 1887, she feigned insanity to get committed to Blackwell's Island asylum, and her exposé 'Ten Days in a Mad-House' led to major reforms in mental health care.
- In 1889–1890, she traveled around the world in 72 days for the New York World, beating the fictional record from Jules Verne's novel 'Around the World in Eighty Days.'
- She was one of the first female war correspondents, reporting from the Eastern Front during World War I as one of only four American journalists allowed there by the British.
- Bly also patented several inventions, including an improved milk can and stacking garbage can, and ran the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company before returning to journalism.
Source
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