About Nellie Bly

Nellie Bly was the pen name under which Elizabeth Cochrane published. Born on May 5, 1864 in New Jersey, Bly was a pioneering journalist who climbed the career ladder in the male-dominated US media and became a star reporter for the New York World. On a Sunday evening in the winter of 1888, Bly was suffering from writer's block and wished she was far away, "to the other side of the world". That was the brilliant idea that led to her record attempt: she wanted to go around the world faster than the hero from Jules Verne's novel Around the world in 80 days.