25 January 1890 – Around the World in 72 days, 134 years ago this week.
Nellie Bly arrived home after travelling 21,740 miles around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes
On 25 January 1890, Nellie Bly stepped off of a steam train in New York City and into the headlines. She had circled the world faster than anyone ever had – 72 days. Bly had achieved ‘the most remarkable of all feats of circumnavigation ever performed by a human being,’ The New York World declared. She raced through a man’s world – alone and literally with just the clothes on her back – to beat Phileas Fogg’s fictional record in Around the World in Eighty Days.
Along with establishing record time, Bly’s race proved the world was connected. Ocean liners, the telegraph, trans-continental railroads in America and India, and the Suez Canal in Egypt, brought far-flung destinations within reach. Her voyage made the world a smaller place and brought humankind together. She became the ‘best-known and most widely talked of woman on earth,’ the papers said.
Before long the accolades vanished and she disappeared into yesteryear. But now she’s back! In print (Following Nellie Bly: Her Record-Breaking Race Around the World) and cast in bronze! (The Girl Puzzle Monument on Roosevelt Island). Nellie Bly has returned to inspire us.
Following Nellie Bly 