In 1887 the pioneering reporter faked dementia and had herself committed to an insane asylum. This account of her incarceration shocked readers and led to a nationwide reexamination of conditions and practices in asylums.
Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Nellie Bly (1864-1922) was a pioneering investigative journalist who reported on the inequalities women faced in the workplace and the legal system. In addition to her undercover work in exposing abuses in the treatment of the mentally ill, she served as a foreign correspondent in Mexico and circled the globe to test the authenticity of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.
