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Interesting Historical Events: Nellie Bly’s Trip Around The World

In 1873, a French author named Jules Verne published a novel titled Around The World In 80 Days. The journey was by no means impossible, as all means of travel mentioned in the book were very real, but until the book came out, no one ever anticipated that the journey could be made.

However, in 1889, an investigative reporter attempted to prove that it could be done. She even managed to shave eight days off the journey, and meet Jules Verne himself.

Nellie Bly had already become famous for her investigative reporting, and her undercover reporting, when she pitched the idea of the trip to her editors. With the book’s success, Bly wanted to prove that the journey could be done in reality. And, not just that, but that she herself, a woman, could do it alone, and in less time.

Backed by her paper, the New York World, Bly set off on her adventure at 9:40 a.m. on Nov. 14, 1889. Contrary to her editor’s beliefs, she packed light. Extremely light, in fact, bringing along one pack, the size of a modern-day carry-on.

She traveled from New York to London, met Verne himself in Paris, bounced to Egypt and then went to Suez Canal and Japan and everywhere in between.

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