I had never been near insane persons before in my life, and had not the faintest idea of what their actions were like.

"Positively demented" said one "I consider it a hopeless case. She refused to go to bed telling the boarders that Nellie Bly was afraid of them and that they looked crazy. Other recognition
In 1998 Nellie Bly was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

In addition to her writing Nellie Bly was also an industrialist and charity worker. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg and an exposé in which Nellie Bly faked insanity to study a mental institution from within.