Nellie Bly
1864–1922 · American (Pennsylvania) · Gilded Age
Known for: Investigative journalist who circumnavigated the globe in 72 days, beating Jules Verne's fictional 80-day record
Bly was a fearless investigative reporter who got herself committed to a mental asylum to expose its abuses in Ten Days in a Mad-House, then raced around the world for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World. She traveled by ship, train, horse, and rickshaw in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes.
The entire country followed her progress. She was brash, resourceful, and tireless. She later became an industrialist, running a steel manufacturing company. She was one of the first female investigative journalists and proved that a woman could travel the world independently.
Browse all 1,000 figures by category
Enable JavaScript to view the full "if they lived today" Q&A and personality profile.