She faked insanity. Then became a star.

About this episode

The episode discusses Nellie Bly's faked insanity and her rise to fame as a journalist.

She was put into an insane asylum at the age of 20. Ten days later she was a celebrity and two years later she had cemented a legacy that would last centuries. But Nellie Bly was not insane. She faked it all. But why? Brooke Kroeger, journalist and emeritus professor at NYU, tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) about Nellie Bly’s career-defining investigation, how it inspired generations and made her a household name. Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch: Got a story for us? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at noonesawitcoming@abc.net.au

People in this episode

Host: Marc Fennell

Guest: Brooke Kroeger

Topics covered

• insanity
• celebrity
• investigation
• journalism
• legacy
• history

Keywords

• Nellie Bly
• insane asylum
• celebrity
• investigation
• journalism
• Brooke Kroeger
• Marc Fennell

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ABC Australia, NYU

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