
History Extra podcast Nellie Bly: life of the week
Nov 11, 2025
Historian Bob Nicholson dives into the remarkable life of Nellie Bly, a pioneer of investigative journalism in the 19th century. She famously feigned insanity to expose the horrors of a New York asylum, sparking significant reforms. Bly's globe-trotting escapades, including a race around the world, captured public fascination and challenged gender roles in journalism. Nicholson also highlights her later ventures into business and her lasting influence on women in media. Bly's legacy is that of a strategic innovator, reshaping the landscape of reporting forever.
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Get In With A Bold Personal Pitch
- Use a striking personal voice to cut through clutter and get opportunities, as Bly did with a letter signed 'a lonely orphan girl'.
- Presenting a vivid, direct need can persuade editors to give you a chance.
Gendered Limits In Victorian Newsrooms
- Late‑19th‑century journalism limited women to society, fashion and domestic pages and assumed they couldn't handle crime or hard reporting.
- Bly broke that mould by insisting on broader investigative roles.
Undercover In A New York Asylum
- Nellie Bly deliberately convinced doctors she was insane and spent ten days inside Blackwell's Island asylum to investigate conditions.
- She endured ice baths, beatings, neglect and wrote a vivid expose that forced reforms.




