Elizabeth Jane Cochrane
Cochrane's upbringing led her to stand up for what she believed was right, even if it was controversial.
"The stepfather was abusive...and Elizabeth’s mother went to court to divorce him. Divorces were not routinely granted then, and Elizabeth spoke on her mother’s behalf at the trial, testifying, 'My stepfather has been generally drunk since he married my mother.'" |
Her stepfather's treatments and the necessity of Bly to testify against him in court began her lifelong pursuit and belief that she needed to help anyone who could not help themselves.
Bly first started writing when she read "What Girls Are Good For" in The Pittsburgh Dispatch. The article wrote that women were silly for attempting to get an education or a job. Bly wrote a scathing reply to the article, titled "The Girl Puzzle," and the editor liked her reply so much that he hired her.
Elizabeth Jane Cochrane got her pen name, Nellie Bly, from this popular song written by Steven Foster, by request of the editor at The Pittsburgh Dispatch.