Nellie Bly, a Woman Who Inspired Others to Never Settled for Second Best
Female pioneer who fought for women’s rights whilst changing the landscape of mental health treatment.
Nellie Bly is my hero, and I don’t say that often because usually, my heroes let me down. Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Cochran on 5th May 1864 in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Her father was a labourer who went on to buy his own mill and make a considerable amount of money.
Elizabeth was six when her father passed away. He died without a will, which put the family into severe financial hardship. Her mother went on to marry again, but it was an abusive relationship. When her mother divorced her stepfather, Elizabeth took the stand at fourteen and told of the life they had lived.
Financially things did not get any better for the family. Elizabeth enrolled in college to become a teacher, a good job for a woman. But, after just one term, she quit returning to her mother to help financially. This was when she first realised how easy it was for her brothers to get a job and how hard it was for her.
In 1885, this feeling of inequality was enraged when she read an article in a local paper stating that all women were good for was marrying and keeping house. She penned a response to the…
