Nellie Bly - The Woman Who Faked Madness
What kind of woman fakes insanity just to expose the truth?
This week on The Wild Side of History and Crime, we dive into the fearless life of Nellie Bly, the journalist who turned undercover reporting into an art form. From willingly entering one of New York’s most notorious asylums to circling the globe in record-breaking time, Nellie didn’t just write headlines… she became them.
We unravel the shocking conditions she exposed inside Blackwell’s Island Asylum, the risks she took to uncover corruption, and the way her reporting changed journalism forever. But Nellie’s story didn’t stop there. She chased adventure across oceans, raced against time around the world, and proved that women could do far more than society expected in the late 1800s.
Courageous, stubborn, and endlessly curious, Nellie Bly lived like a lit match tossed into a room full of secrets.
Join me as we explore the woman who risked everything to tell the truth.
Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/christopher-galovan/hallowed
References
Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica. "Nellie Bly." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
"Nellie Bly." National Park Service, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/people/nellie-bly.htm
"Nellie Bly." Wikipedia, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly
Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica. "Nellie Bly." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
Pirazzini, Giorgio. "America's first investigative journalist got her start in an asylum." National Geographic, March 3, 2021. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/nellie-bly-united-states-first-investigative-journalist-started-asylum
"Blackwell's Island (Roosevelt Island), New York City." National Park Service, 2019. https://home.nps.gov/places/blackwell-s-island-new-york-city.htm
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Chapter 8, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Pirazzini, Giorgio. "America's first investigative journalist got her start in an asylum." National Geographic, March 3, 2021. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/nellie-bly-united-states-first-investigative-journalist-started-asylum
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Project Gutenberg, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Chapter 1, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
"Blackwell's Island (Roosevelt Island), New York City." National Park Service, 2021. https://home.nps.gov/places/blackwell-s-island-new-york-city.htm
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House. Chapter 8, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Chapter 1, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Project Gutenberg, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Bly, Nellie. Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island. Norman Munro, 1887. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59899
Widra, Emily. "Nellie Bly’s Legacy: Investigative Journalism & Criminal Justice Reform." Prison Policy Initiative, September 25, 2017. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/09/26/nelliebly/
Editors, Britannica. "Nellie Bly | Biography & Around the World in Seventy-two Days | Britannica." Britannica, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
Editors, Britannica. "Nellie Bly | Biography & Around the World in Seventy-Two Days." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
Editors, Britannica. "Nellie Bly." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
Bly, Nellie. Around the World in Seventy-Two Days. Pictorial Weeklies, 1890. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1629064.Around_the_World_in_72_Days
Fessenden, Maris. "Nellie Bly’s Record-Breaking Trip Around the World Was, to Her Surprise, A Race." Smithsonian Magazine, January 24, 2016. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nellie-blys-record-breaking-trip-around-world-was-to-her-surprise-race-180957910/
Lui, Claire. "Around the World in 72 Days | AMERICAN HERITAGE." American Heritage, 2007. https://www.americanheritage.com/content/around-world-72-days
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