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historyMar 1, 202625:45pending

She faked insanity. Then became a star.

About this episode

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.

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She faked insanity. Then became a star.

No One Saw It Coming

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