On This Day, November 14th: Nellie Bly Begins Her Race Against Time Around the World

Introduction: A Moment in Time

On the morning of November 14, 1889, a determined 25-year-old woman stood on the deck of the steamship Augusta Victoria in Hoboken, New Jersey. Clad in a practical checkered coat, a distinctive ghillie cap, and carrying a single, small travel bag, she was the embodiment of audacious ambition. Her name was Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, but the world knew her as Nellie Bly, the star reporter for Joseph Pulitzer's sensational newspaper, the New York World. That day, she embarked on a quest that would captivate the public imagination like few events before it: to turn fiction into fact by circling the globe in less time than the hero of Jules Verne's popular novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. It was a challenge thrown down to the limitations of her time, a race not just against the clock, but against the deeply entrenched societal expectations of what a woman could and should do. As the steamship pulled away from the dock, it wasn't just a journey of miles that began, but a pivotal moment in the history of journalism, exploration, and female empowerment.

The Build-Up: What Led to This Day?

A Pen Name and a Fiery Spirit

Nellie Bly was no stranger to defying conventions. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, she had burst onto the male-dominated journalism scene of the late 19th century with a fiery letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch, critiquing an article titled "What Girls Are Good For." The editor, impressed by her spirit and prose, hired her. It was there she adopted the pen name "Nellie Bly," from a popular Stephen Foster song. Bly quickly tired of being relegated to the "women's pages" and carved a niche for herself with a new, daring form of reporting. She pioneered what would become known as investigative or "stunt" journalism. She went undercover in factories to expose the grim conditions faced by female workers, a move that angered factory owners but resonated with the public.

Ten Days in a Madhouse

Her breakthrough moment came in 1887 after moving to New York City and convincing Joseph Pulitzer's New York World to give her a chance. For her first assignment, she feigned insanity to be committed to the notorious Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. Her subsequent exposé, "Ten Days in a Mad-House," revealed the horrific abuse and neglect patients suffered. The series caused a public uproar, leading to a grand jury investigation and significant reforms in mental healthcare funding and practices. Nellie Bly became a household name, a champion for the voiceless, and a journalist who didn't just report the news—she made it.

A Challenge to a Fictional Record

It was with this reputation for audacity that Bly proposed her most ambitious stunt yet in 1888: a real-life journey to beat Phileas Fogg's 80-day circumnavigation. Initially, her editor dismissed the idea, epitomizing the era's sexism. "In the first place you are a woman and would need a protector," he argued, adding, "no one but a man can do this." Bly's response was sharp and resolute: "Very well, start the man, and I'll start the same day for some other newspaper and beat him." A year later, with the idea of a rival attempting the feat looming, her editor finally relented. With just two days' notice, Nellie Bly was told to pack her bag—her single bag—and prepare to race the clock.

The Event Itself

The Race Begins

At precisely 9:40 a.m. on November 14, 1889, Bly's 24,899-mile journey commenced. She traveled east, her itinerary meticulously planned to take advantage of the fastest steamships and trains. Her first leg was a transatlantic crossing, where she battled severe seasickness. From England, she traveled to France, where she achieved a remarkable milestone: a meeting with the very author who had inspired her quest, Jules Verne. Though he was encouraging, Verne seemed skeptical, telling her, "If you do it in seventy-nine days, I shall applaud with both hands." Bly was determined to do better.

A Rival Emerges

Unbeknownst to Bly as she steamed through the Suez Canal and across the Indian Ocean, her grand adventure had become a head-to-head race. On the very day she departed, John Brisben Walker, the publisher of the upstart *Cosmopolitan* magazine, saw a golden opportunity for publicity. He hastily dispatched his own journalist, the literary editor Elizabeth Bisland, on a competing journey. Bisland, a more reserved and literary figure, was sent westward, creating a dramatic global duel that captivated newspaper readers across America. Bly only learned she had a competitor when she reached Hong Kong, a revelation that added a new layer of urgency to her travels. She publicly declared, "I am not racing with anyone... If someone else wants to do the trip in less time, that is their concern." Privately, however, the race was on.

The Dash for Home

Bly's journey was a whirlwind of cultures and experiences. She visited a leper colony in China, purchased a pet monkey in Singapore, and navigated the complexities of international travel with only English at her disposal. To keep the American public engaged, the *New York World* launched a massive promotional campaign, including a "Nellie Bly Guessing Match," where readers submitted estimates of her exact arrival time for a grand prize. The journey was not without its challenges. Unforeseen delays and rough weather across the Pacific cost her precious time. Upon her arrival in San Francisco on January 21, 1890, two days behind schedule, her newspaper spared no expense. To make up the time, they chartered a private train to whisk her across the country in a final, frantic dash to the finish line. Her cross-country journey became a rolling celebration, with crowds gathering at every stop to cheer her on.

The Aftermath and Legacy

A Hero's Welcome

On January 25, 1890, Nellie Bly stepped off the train in New York to a hero's welcome. A massive, cheering crowd greeted her. She had done it. Her final time was a staggering 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. She had not only beaten Phileas Fogg's fictional record but had shattered it. Her rival, Elizabeth Bisland, who had faced her own set of travel mishaps, would arrive in New York four and a half days later, completing the trip in an also-impressive 76 days. But it was Bly who captured the glory and became an international celebrity. Her subsequent book, *Around the World in Seventy-Two Days*, became a bestseller.

A Trailblazer for Journalism

Nellie Bly's journey was more than just a publicity stunt; it was a watershed moment. It cemented her status as the most famous female journalist in the world and proved that a woman could undertake such an arduous journey alone, without a male protector and with minimal luggage, defying every stereotype her editor had initially thrown at her. Her fearless, first-person style of reporting captivated audiences and solidified the power of investigative journalism to effect social change. She inspired a generation of "girl reporters" who sought to follow in her footsteps, breaking down barriers in a field that had long been a bastion of male authority.

While her world record was broken just a few months later by George Francis Train, the impact of her achievement endured. Nellie Bly's race against time was a testament to human determination, a brilliant piece of media spectacle, and a powerful statement of female independence. On that November day, she set out to circle the globe, and in doing so, she forever changed the world of journalism and the perception of what a woman could achieve.

References

Bly, N. (1890). Around The World in Seventy-Two Days.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2023, October 10). Nellie Bly. Encyclopædia Britannica.

Goodman, M. (2013). Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World.

Heinz History Center. (n.d.). Nellie Bly: Around the World.

National Women's History Museum. (n.d.). Nellie Bly.

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, November 7). Nellie Bly. Wikipedia.