Around the World in Seventy-Two Days

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days is a book by journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, writing under her pseudonym, Nellie Bly. The chronicle details her record-breaking 72-day trip around the world (1889–90) for Joseph Pulitzer's tabloid newspaper, the New York World that was inspired by the book, Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Nellie Bly (1864–1922) was the pen name of American pioneer female journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. In addition to her writing, she was also an industrialist and charity worker. She originally intended for her pseudonym to be "Nelly Bly," but her editor wrote "Nellie" by mistake, and the error stuck.