Apologies for the late upload, Producer Will is traveling today!
Nellie Bly did something amazing. In the late 1800's she became a female reporter, practically unheard of, and then basically invented investigative journalism. How? She feigned mental illness to get herself committed to one of the most notorious mental hospitals in New York, Blackwell. There, she spent ten days witnessing horrific abuse, unsanitary conditions and abject cruelty. Thanks to her, the hospital received over a million dollars in donations.
Was she done? NO. Then she went on to travel around the world in 72 Days, earning her fame and fortune and starting the trend of 'girl stunt reporters'. An amazing woman who left behind an amazing legacy and inspired the character of Lana Winters in Asylum AHS.
Cruel Tea is a part of the PodMoth Network!
https://linktr.ee/crueltea
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly-0
https://www.biography.com/activist/nellie-bly
https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/nellie-bly/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly
https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/05/05/ten-days-at-the-mad-house-nellie-bly/
https://screenrant.com/american-horror-story-asylum-lana-winters-character-inspiration/
Read 10 Days in the Madhouse here: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html
