History For Weirdos

Episode 152: The Absolutely Wild Life of Nellie Bly


Listen Later

In this episode of History For Weirdos, Stephanie take a deep dive into the life of Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, better known by her fearless pen name, Nellie Bly. Born in rural Pennsylvania in 1864, she punched her ticket out of small-town life with nothing but grit, charm, and a typewriter. We trace her journey from broke journalist pounding out articles in Pittsburgh to her bold decision to feign insanity and storm New York City’s notorious Blackwell’s Island asylum. Along the way we uncover the societal constraints she shattered just by daring to dream of a world where women could write, investigate, and shake the very foundations of big institutions.

The heart of the story centers on Bly’s ten-day immersion in the asylum, where she endured starvation rations, filthy conditions, and the whims of guardians more interested in profit than people. Armed only with her wits and a small notebook, she chronicled abuses that would later spark one of the first major reforms in America’s mental health system. We break down her tactics for slipping past the front desk, her brush-ups with fellow patients and unhinged staff, and the explosive exposé that thrust her into the national spotlight. It’s a gripping reminder that good reporting can be as dramatic as any stage show.

In our final act we follow Bly’s globe-circling adventure that saw her beat Phileas Fogg’s fictional record and become the first woman to travel around the world alone in 72 days, all while drawing headlines and challenging gender norms. We also explore her later life as a war correspondent covering the Spanish-American War and her surprising pivot into industrial innovation, including a steam boiler patent that saved lives. By the end you’ll see how Nellie Bly’s restless curiosity and unbreakable spirit turned every assignment into an adventure, and why her legacy still inspires journalists and weirdos alike to chase the next big story.

-

Get History For Weirdos merch here!

-

Thank you for listening Weirdos! Show the podcast some love by rating & subscribing on whichever platform you use to listen to podcasts.

Your support means so much to us. Let's stay in touch 👇

IG/Threads: @historyforweirdos

Website: ⁠⁠historyforweirdos.com

-

Sources for this week:

Kroeger, Brooke. Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. Times Books, 1994.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Archives (Nellie Bly educational history and records)

PBS American Experience: Nellie Bly

Library of Congress Digital Collections: Nellie Bly Collection

Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887) by Nellie Bly

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days (1890) by Nellie Bly


The Nellie Bly Collection (compiled editions available via Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

History For WeirdosBy Andrew & Stephanie

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

113 ratings


More shows like History For Weirdos

View all
Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

Criminal

37,395 Listeners

Do You Need A Ride? with Chris Fairbanks and Karen Kilgariff by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Do You Need A Ride? with Chris Fairbanks and Karen Kilgariff

7,620 Listeners

Lore by Aaron Mahnke

Lore

44,902 Listeners

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

171,587 Listeners

And That's Why We Drink by Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz

And That's Why We Drink

23,525 Listeners

This Podcast Will Kill You by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

This Podcast Will Kill You

16,849 Listeners

Morbid by Morbid Network | Wondery

Morbid

98,140 Listeners

Sinisterhood by Audioboom Studios

Sinisterhood

6,279 Listeners

Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes

25,340 Listeners

Noble Blood by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Noble Blood

13,523 Listeners

Bananas - Funny news from around the world with Scotty Landes and Kurt Braunohler by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Bananas - Funny news from around the world with Scotty Landes and Kurt Braunohler

7,660 Listeners

Dear Movies, I Love You by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Dear Movies, I Love You

3,766 Listeners

Wicked Words - A True Crime Talk Show with Kate Winkler Dawson by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Wicked Words - A True Crime Talk Show with Kate Winkler Dawson

7,114 Listeners

My Victorian Nightmare by Genevieve Manion

My Victorian Nightmare

1,260 Listeners

The Knife: A True Crime Podcast by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

The Knife: A True Crime Podcast

771 Listeners