The Epic Race: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History Making Journey Around the World

Imagine a world where a race around the globe was considered a daring feat, something reserved solely for men. Yet, in 1889, two extraordinary women shattered societal norms and set off on an epic race that would captivate the world's attention.

Nellie Bly, a pioneering investigative journalist, and Elizabeth Bisland, a talented writer, embarked on a race around the world, each determined to outdo the other and accomplish an incredible feat that no woman had ever achieved before. Their daring adventure became a symbol of women's empowerment and showcased their unwavering courage, wit, and determination.

The Beginning of an Unlikely Race

It all started when Nellie Bly was assigned by Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper, the New York World, to undertake a voyage around the world, inspired by the Jules Verne novel, "Around the World in 80 Days." Bly was already widely recognized for her groundbreaking investigative reporting, and this assignment would prove to be her greatest adventure yet.

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World

by Matthew Goodman(Kindle Edition)

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	9012 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	591 pages

FREE

But here's where the story gets truly fascinating: the New York World wasn't the only newspaper looking to capitalize on this sensational idea. The editors of Cosmopolitan Magazine saw an opportunity to beat Bly at her own game and chose Elizabeth Bisland, one of their own writers, to rival Bly in a race to complete a circumnavigation of the globe.

The Race Begins

On November 14, 1889, Bly boarded a steamer heading east, while Bisland set off westward on another vessel. The world watched with bated breath as these two remarkable women embarked on their separate journeys, hoping to outdo each other in the race of a lifetime.

Bly, known for her fearless reporting, faced numerous challenges along the way. From battling rough seas to enduring delays and controversies, she navigated her way through daunting landscapes and foreign cultures. Bly's no-nonsense attitude and determination allowed her to overcome every hurdle, even when it seemed impossible.

Meanwhile, Bisland endeavored to match Bly's pace, racing against time to complete her own journey. Despite the mounting pressure, she remained calm and composed, gracefully leaving her mark in each place she visited.

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days

As Bly continued to face obstacles on her journey, she soon discovered that the real competition was against time itself. Determined not to be defeated, Bly made an audacious decision. She decided to take a faster route home by traveling through France instead of her original plan of returning via California.

On January 25, 1890, after seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes, and fourteen seconds of non-stop travel, Nellie Bly arrived triumphantly back in New York City. She had circumnavigated the globe in record-breaking time, proving that women were just as capable of undertaking daring expeditions as men.

A Trailblazing Achievement

Elizabeth Bisland returned to America four and a half days later, having taken a longer route but creating her own unique story along the way. Although she didn't win the race, her resilience and tenacity in facing challenges head-on furthered the cause of women's rights and paved the way for future female adventurers.

Their remarkable journey sparked a global fascination with the idea of circumnavigating the world. This event marked a turning point in the perception of women's abilities and courage, challenging the societal norms of the time. It forever etched Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland in history as trailblazers who boldly defied expectations.

A Legacy That Lives On

The legacy of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's race around the world lives on today, serving as an inspiration for countless women who dare to dream big. Their remarkable story continues to inspire and remind us that courage and determination know no boundaries.

The race itself was not just a mere competition to see who could complete a journey the quickest, but a testament to the indomitable spirit of women and their ability to accomplish extraordinary feats against all odds.

It is through stories like these that we rediscover the untold stories of women who have shaped history, pushing the boundaries and redefining what it means to be a woman.

So let the story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland serve as a reminder that no dream is too big and no journey too daunting. The world awaits those who dare to challenge and defy expectations, just as these two exceptional women did over a century ago.

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World

by Matthew Goodman(Kindle Edition)

4.3 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	9012 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	591 pages

FREE

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

On November 14, 1889, Nellie Bly, the crusading young female reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s World newspaper, left New York City by steamship on a quest to break the record for the fastest trip around the world. Also departing from New York that day—and heading in the opposite direction by train—was a young journalist from The Cosmopolitan magazine, Elizabeth Bisland. Each woman was determined to outdo Jules Verne’s fictional hero Phileas Fogg and circle the globe in less than eighty days. The dramatic race that ensued would span twenty-eight thousand miles, captivate the nation, and change both competitors’ lives forever.
 
The two women were a study in contrasts. Nellie Bly was a scrappy, hard-driving, ambitious reporter from Pennsylvania coal country who sought out the most sensational news stories, often going undercover to expose social injustice. Genteel and elegant, Elizabeth Bisland had been born into an aristocratic Southern family, preferred novels and poetry to newspapers, and was widely referred to as the most beautiful woman in metropolitan journalism. Both women, though, were talented writers who had carved out successful careers in the hypercompetitive, male-dominated world of big-city newspapers. Eighty Days brings these trailblazing women to life as they race against time and each other, unaided and alone, ever aware that the slightest delay could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
 
A vivid real-life re-creation of the race and its aftermath, from its frenzied start to the nail-biting dash at its finish, Eighty Days is history with the heart of a great adventure novel. Here’s the journey that takes us behind the walls of Jules Verne’s Amiens estate, into the back alleys of Hong Kong, onto the grounds of a Ceylon tea plantation, through storm-tossed ocean crossings and mountains blocked by snowdrifts twenty feet deep, and to many more unexpected and exotic locales from London to Yokohama. Along the way, we are treated to fascinating glimpses of everyday life in the late nineteenth century—an era of unprecedented technological advances, newly remade in the image of the steamship, the railroad, and the telegraph. For Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland—two women ahead of their time in every sense of the word—were not only racing around the world. They were also racing through the very heart of the Victorian age.

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“What a story! What an extraordinary historical adventure!”—Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire 
“A fun, fast, page-turning action-adventure . . . the exhilarating journey of two pioneering women, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland, as they race around the globe.”—Karen Abbott, author of American Rose 
“[A] marvelous tale of adventure . . . The story of these two pioneering women unfolds amid the excitement, setbacks, crises, missed opportunities and a global trek unlike any other in its time. . . . Why would you want to miss out on the incredible journey that takes you to the finish line page after nail-biting page?”—Chicago Sun-Times (Best Books of the Year) 
“In a stunning feat of narrative nonfiction, Matthew Goodman brings the nineteenth century to life, tracing the history of two intrepid journalists as they tackled two male-dominated fields—world travel and journalism—in an era of incredible momentum.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune