🌎️ Today, 137 years ago, journalist Nellie Bly sets out for around-the-world trip
November 14th, 1889: A reporter ahead of her time, Nellie Bly begins what will be a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days, putting Jules Verne’s fictional story ‘Around the World in 80 days’ to a real-life test. Bly will complete the journey in 72 days, travelling alone for bulk of it.
Nellie Bly traveled by train during specific overland segments of her 1889–1890 global trip:
- Europe (France and Italy): After arriving in Europe by steamship and crossing the English Channel, she took trains through France—including a side trip to Amiens to visit Jules Verne—and a postal train down to Brindisi, Italy.
- The Final Leg Across the United States: After crossing the Pacific Ocean by steamship to San Francisco, she rode a chartered special transcontinental train (the “Miss Nellie Bly Special” by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) all the way back to New York and Jersey City
For a detailed account of her milestones and daily dispatches, you can explore the PBS American Experience: Around the World in 72 Days overview. There is of course also a book: Nellie Bly – Around the World in 72 Days.