A Race Around the World: The True Story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland In 1889, New York reporter Nellie Bly--inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days--began a circumnavigation she hoped to complete in less time. Her trip was sponsored by her employer, The World. Just hours after her ship set out across the Atlantic, another New York publication put writer Elizabeth Bisland on a westbound train. Bisland was headed around the world in the opposite direction, thinking she could beat Bly's time. Only one woman could win the race, but both completed their journeys in record time.