1865?-1922

American newspaper reporter who set a speed record for round-the-world travel in 1889-90. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, she wrote under the name Nellie Bly, taken from popular song. Considered a pioneer in journalism and investigative reporting, Bly is heralded as the first reporter to "go behind the scenes" for a firsthand look at a wide range of controversial subjects, notably the mistreatment of patients in mental institutions. Bly made headlines in 1889 when she sailed from New York to beat the record of Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. She completed her trip in 72 days, six hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds.