On January 25, 1890, the world waited for a young reporter named Nellie Bly to arrive back home. For 72 days, newspaper readers had been following her progress in one of the most highly publicized journeys of all time. Never before had anyone--man or woman--circled the globe with such speed. At just twenty-five years old, Bly was the most famous woman on earth. By the time Nellie Bly embarked on her famous trip, she had already made a name for herself as one of Joseph Pulitzer"s top reporters, documenting the lives of America"s growing underclass. The first story to put her on center stage was a harrowing account of her experience inside a madhouse. Masquerading as a madwoman, Bly spent ten terrifying days in the most notorious mental asylum in New York City. Her expose shook the city to its foundation. Never before had a journalist gone to such lengths to pursue a story. The new brand of undercover, investigative reporting would continue to grab headlines for another ten years. This AMERICAN EXPERIENCE production paints a portrait of a remarkably ambitious woman who, in an era of Victorian reserve, would become a household name by doing things a woman just wasn"t supposed to do.