A Race Around the World
A Race Around the World
A New Podcast Created By Adrien Behn
In 1889, two female journalists raced each other around the world. The first woman to leave was investigative journalist Nellie Bly who worked for the New York World. This adventure was her idea. When her editors approved of the pitch, she had 56 hours to get ready before she headed to London on a steamship.
On November 14th, the morning Nellie left for Europe, a competing editor realized he might be able to sell more of his papers if he sent his own female writer around the world. He taps his literary editor, Elizabeth Bisland, to jump into the race as well. She’s given six hours to prepare. And instead of following Nellie, Elizabeth took a train to San Francisco.
The universe couldn't have chosen two more different people. Nellie was from the north, Elizabeth was from the south. Nellie was a hard hitting reporter, and Elizabeth was a poet at heart. Liz went west as Nellie headed east.
Fortunately for us, the fastest way around the world is the same. With some slight variation, both women went to the same countries/cities: England, France, Italy, Egypt, Yemen, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, and across America. So, we as listeners tie a bow around the world. Listeners also experience the same locations through contrasting lenses ( Nellie’s action focused lens vs. Elizabeth’s poetic one).
Both women traveled alone when disease and sexism was rampant with only a few bags to their names. Once the news of their race was published, the whole world was glued to their adventure and thousands of people made bets as to when both women would come home. Spoiler: Both women are celebrated back in New York when they return ( 10,000 people greeted Nellie in Jersey City when she won). They both make it back in under 80 days.
This show unpacks how traveling solo as a woman has not changed so much in the past 100 years and digs into the feelings and experiences that pop up when you are exposed to new areas of the world and are thrown out of your comfort zone.
This show tells the story of these two intrepid women, how they ended up in this race, what happens to them, and how they lived to tell the tale.
