An American pioneer trailblazer and reporter, Nellie Bly, in 1889 embarked on circumnavigating the globe with just a small duffle bag. Bly, an audacious reporter, challenged Jules Verneʼs fictional character Phileas Fogg (Around the World in Eighty Days 1873). Verne argued that “anything one man can imagine, other men can make real,” and oh man was he wrong to not include women. His vision for speed-circumnavigation was made real in 1889 — by a woman. A pioneer that she was, Bly would complete the trip in seventy-five days. How she did it is another topic. Nevertheless, we want to highlight Blyʼs masterful and efficient packing skills for such a long and demanding trip, especially in an era when resources were limited and technology wasnʼt as it is today. Efficiency, strategy, and perhaps meticulous attention to detail were a few key contributing factors to Blyʼs success in beating the world[…]
