Nellie bly early life
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Nellie Bly
(1864-1922)
Who Was Nellie Bly?
Journalist Nellie Bly began writing for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1885. Two years later, Bly moved to New York City and began working for the New York World. In conjunction with one of her first assignments for the World, she spent several days on Blackwell's Island, posing as a mental patient for an exposé. In 1889, the paper sent her on a trip around the world in a record-setting 72 days.
Early Life and Struggles
Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran (she later added an "e" to the end of her name) on May 5, 1864, in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania. The town was founded by her father, Michael Cochran, who provided for his family by working as a judge and landowner.
The marriage was the second one for both Michael and Bly's mother, Mary Jane, who wed after the deaths of their first spouses. Michael had 10 children with his first wife and five more with Mary Jane, who had no prior children.
Bly suffered a tragic loss in 1870, at the age of six, when her father died suddenly. Amid their grief, Michael's death presen
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Trailblazing American journalist Nellie Bly lived by her own creed that “nothing is impossible if one applies a certain amount of energy in the right direction”.
That resolve led Bly to pioneer investigative journalism in 1887, travel around the world faster than anyone ever had in 1889-1890 and become one of America’s leading female industrialists in the early 20th century.
Here are 10 facts about Nellie Bly.
1. She was one of 15 children
Born in 1864, Bly was the thirteenth of 15 children in a family headed by Michael Cochran, a mill owner and county judge. She was six years old when her beloved father died without warning, and without a will, plunging his once wealthy and respected family into poverty and shame.
The indignity borne by her family forged a determination in Bly to triumph over tragedy and fight for justice, especially for the most vulnerable. With that searing conviction, she thrust open doors usually closed to women, excelled in journalism, gave voices to the voiceless and achieved the impossible.
2. She changed her name three times
She was bor
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Tonya Mitchell
The young, intrepid reporter who graced the pages of the New York World at the end of the 19th century led a busy life. Nellie Bly was never one to sit idle while the world rushed by. After her ten-days-in-a-madhouse stunt and her circumnavigation of the globe—feats that would make her a household name—she went on to do many other things. Heading up a large, multimillion-dollar ironworks business her husband had left her, and finding good homes for scores of infants were just a few.
Her much-publicized exploits have obscured some of the smaller details of her life, many of which are just as interesting.
Here are ten of them.
1. She came from a wealthy family
Bly’s father, Michael Cochran, died suddenly when Bly was six. He’d made no will, which meant his assets had to be divided equally among his heirs—and there were many. He had produced ten children from a previous marriage, most of whom were adults at the time of his death.
Her father was worth the equivalent of $1.1 million in today’s money, but the nature of his holdings made it
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