Alive and On Time
"The Jersey City station was packed. As Bly's train pulled in, thousands of onlookers cheered; cannons thundered congratulations. It was 3:51 p.m. on Saturday, January 25, 1890. In seventy-two days, six hours, and eleven minutes, Bly had traveled 21,740 miles. She was back, 'alive and on time'" - Charles Fredeen, 1999
Nellie Bly was back. The World didn’t hesitate to acknowledge her feat and many other newspapers, including The New York Times and Cosmopolitan sent her congratulations and praised her performance. But not everyone was happy with her achievement. Bly had faced storms and struggles, but when she returned, she was barely acknowledged by editor Joseph Pulitzer, and quit The World in disgust, feeling betrayed by her own newspaper.
"Not everyone was impressed with Bly’s pluck. Metropolis magazine sniffed, ‘Nellie Bly has returned from her trip around the world. What of it?’ Also critical, as usual, was the Journalist's Allan Forman. Bly’s trip, wrote Forman, proved nothing but ‘the immense resources of the New York World… [and] that the great majority of the American people dearly love a sensation - no matter how flimsy - so long as it gives them something to gabble about.’ In fact, he argued, the World could just as easily ‘have sent a canvas-covered sugar-cured ham with a tag tied to it spinning around the globe.’" - Charles Fredeen, 1999
Home Again Illus. in The New York World Evening Edition. Nellie Bly Extra. New York World, 1890 Jan. 25, p. 1
23,000 miles and 72 days later, Nellie Bly was back and she had set a record. But not only did she set a record, she also proved to many that women were determined, passionate, and capable. Bly traveled without a guide and only knowing English, which was extremely unusual and difficult for her because of her gender and the time period she lived in. She became well-known all over the world, and a board game was even created, highlighting her journey (shown to the right). Nellie Bly proved to everyone by completing her trip that women were not just useful in the home.
Round The World With Nellie Bly Board Game , J. A. Crozier, McLoughlin Brothers 1890.
“The American girl will no longer be misunderstood. She will be recognized as pushing, determined, independent, able to take care of herself on her own and single-handed wherever she may go.” - The Evening World, January 25, 1890
Nellie Bly's trip helped to start the exploration in the frontier of women representation in society and the workforce and her determination and character helped to set a precedent for feats women could accomplish, if given the chance.