Game board illustrating journalist Nellie Bly's circumnavigation of the globe (1889–1890), in the '' New York World'', 26 January 1890.

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days board game

''Around the World in Seventy-Two Days'' is an 1890 book by journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, writing under her

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist who was widely known for her record-breaking circumnavigation, trip around the world ...

. The chronicle details her 72-day trip around the world, which was inspired by the 1873 book ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'' by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

. She carried out the journey for

Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born , ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and a newspaper publisher of the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in the U.S. Democ ...

's tabloid newspaper, the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...

''.

Journey

In 1888, Bly suggested to her editor at the ''New York World'' that she take a trip around the world, attempting to turn the fictional ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' into fact for the first time. A year later, at 9:40 a.m. on November 14, 1889, she boarded the '' Augusta Victoria'', a steamer of the

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent Germ ...

, Kroeger, Brooke. ''Nellie Bly – Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist''. Times Books Random House, 1994, p. 146 and began her journey with the goal of finishing in 75 days. She brought with her the dress she was wearing, a sturdy overcoat, several changes of underwear and a small travel bag carrying her toiletry essentials. She carried most of her money (£200 in English bank notes and gold in total as well as some American currency) in a bag tied around her neck.Ruddick, Nicholas. "Nellie Bly, Jules Verne, and the World on the Threshold of the American Age." ''Canadian Review of American Studies'', Volume 29, Number 1, 1999, p. 5 The New York newspaper ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'' sponsored its own reporter, Elizabeth Bisland, to beat the time of both

Phileas Fogg Phileas Fogg ( ) is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel '' Around the World in Eighty Days''. Inspirations for the character were the American entrepreneur George Francis Train and American writer and adventurer William Perry Fogg ...

and Bly. Bisland would travel the opposite way around the world. Bly, however, did not learn of Bisland's journey until reaching Hong Kong. She dismissed the cheap competition. "I would not race," she said. "If someone else wants to do the trip in less time, that is their concern." To sustain interest in the story, the ''World'' organized a "Bly Guessing Match" in which readers were asked to estimate Bly's arrival time to the second, with the Grand Prize consisting at first of a free trip to Europe and, later on, spending money for the trip.Kroeger, Brooke. ''Nellie Bly – Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist''. Times Books Random House, 1994, p. 150 On her travels around the world, Bly went through England; France, where she met

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

;

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

in southern Italy; the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

;

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

; the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

(British territories) of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

on the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

;

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

; and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The development of efficient submarine cable networks and the electric telegraph allowed Bly to send short progress reports,Ruddick, Nicholas. "Nellie Bly, Jules Verne, and the World on the Threshold of the American Age." ''Canadian Review of American Studies'', Volume 29, Number 1, 1999, p. 8 though longer dispatches had to travel by regular post and were thus often delayed by several weeks. Bly travelled using steamships and the existing railroad systems, which caused occasional setbacks, particularly on the Asian leg of her race.Bear, David. "Around the World With Nellie Bly." ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 26, 2006 During these stops, she visited a leper colony in ChinaRuddick, Nicholas. "Nellie Bly, Jules Verne, and the World on the Threshold of the American Age." ''Canadian Review of American Studies'', Volume 29, Number 1, 1999, p. 7 and she bought a monkey in Singapore.

Homecoming

As a result of rough weather on her Pacific crossing, she arrived in San Francisco on the White Star liner '' Oceanic'' on January 21, two days behind schedule. However, ''World'' owner Pulitzer chartered a private train to bring her home, and she arrived back in New Jersey on January 25, 1890, at 3:51 p.m. Nellie Bly Reception 1890

The Miss Nellie Bly Special was a one-time, record-breaking

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

operated by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

from

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

for reporter

. The train was chartered by Bly's employer, ''

'' owner

. Bly sought to best the fictional record of

as documented in Jules Verne's novel ''

''. Bly began her trek eastward from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(pausing in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

long enough to interview Verne) in November 1889, arriving in San Francisco on January 21, 1890. The specially missioned train set new speed records over the line, completing the journey in 69 hours, averaging in the process. Along the way, Bly presented each division superintendent with a quart of Mumm's Extra Dry

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. In the end, Bly's trip around the world took just 72 days. Bly arrived back in New York 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes after leaving Hoboken. At the time, Bisland was still going around the world. Like Bly, she had missed a connection and had to board a slow, old ship (the '' Bothnia'') in the place of a fast ship (''

Etruria Etruria ( ) was a region of Central Italy delimited by the rivers Arno and Tiber, an area that covered what is now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and north-western Umbria. It was inhabited by the Etruscans, an ancient civilization that f ...

'').Ruddick, Nicholas. "Nellie Bly, Jules Verne, and the World on the Threshold of the American Age." ''Canadian Review of American Studies'', Volume 29, Number 1, 1999, p. 4 Bly's journey, at the time, was a world record, though it was bettered a few months later by George Francis Train, who completed the journey in 67 days. By 1913, Andre Jaeger-Schmidt, Henry Frederick and John Henry Mears had improved on the record, the latter completing the journey in less than 36 days.''New York Times'', "A Run Around the World", August 8, 1913 The current record is approximately 90 minutes, a multi-way tie held by all astronauts who have ever been in orbit.

In popular culture

* In season five, episode seven, of '' Boardwalk Empire'' (set in 1931), the character Gillian Darmody reads aloud from this book, the only one she owns.

References

*Marshall Goldberg, "The New Colossus," Diversion Books, 2014

External links

''Nellie Bly's Book: Around the World in Seventy-Two Days''
by Nellie Bly. London: Bretano's; New York: Pictorial Weeklies, 1890 a
A Celebration of Women Writers
* (Audio Book) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Around The World In Seventy-Two Days 1890 non-fiction books American travel books Works published under a pseudonym Works based on Around the World in Eighty Days

Journey

Homecoming

In popular culture

See also

References

External links