This Day in History: 1864-05-05

American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, is born. Bly became widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne’s fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she worked undercover to report on a mental institution from within. She pioneered a new kind of investigative journalism. Learn more.