Nellie Bly Begins Her Journey Around the World
Journalist Nellie Bly left New York on November 14, 1889, beginning a journey intended to beat the fictional eighty-day trip in Jules Verne's novel.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
Journalist Nellie Bly left New York on November 14, 1889, beginning a journey intended to beat the fictional eighty-day trip in Jules Verne's novel.
The Wider Story
She traveled through existing steamship and railway networks, turning the journey into a newspaper event. Her reporting challenged assumptions about women's mobility and independence.
Putting the Event in Perspective
Bly completed the trip in January 1890, not on the departure day.
Reading the Historical Record
The route should not be presented as an airplane journey, and the publicity story should still acknowledge the transport workers and global networks supporting it.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a woman traveler seen from behind boarding a steamship at an 1889 New York pier. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
Found an error? Send a correction. Read our editorial standards.