125 years ago today: Completion of a world journey

January 25th, 1890, 125 years ago today . . . a date to make anyone with wanderlust jealous.

New York World

For that was the day journalist Nellie Bly of the New York World completed her trip around the world.

The 25-year-old Bly had set out alone from New Jersey the previous November to try to better the record of Phileas Fogg, the fictional hero of Jules Verne's 1873 novel, "Around The World in 80 Days."
By steamship and train, Bly traveled eastward, sending back brief reports to her World readers when she could.
Despite occasional setbacks, Bly returned in triumph in 72 days, defeating Fogg's record by a full eight days.
The New York World was so thrilled that it even published a "Round the World With Nellie Bly" board game.
Nellie Bly died in 1922 at just 57 years of age, but popular fascination with circling the world continues.
www.cbsnews.com/ (Sunday Morning - CBS features and interviews)