Thanks to a new Google Doodle the internet is all abuzz with talk of Elizabeth Cochrane.  Born 151 years ago today, Cochrane, better known as Nellie Bly, was many things.  Investigative journalist.  Author.  World traveler.  Record breaker.  She was also something that is largely forgotten: a board game.

The game was released in 1890 to capitalize on Bly’s recent “Round-the-world” trip, which she accomplished in a record-breaking 72 days.  The board design was first printed in black and white on the front page of the New York World, the newspaper that Bly wrote for and the one who sponsored her trip.  The full game was produced by McLoughlin Bros., a Brooklyn-based game manufacturer famous for their fun and colorful sets.

For more about Nellie Bly and her record-breaking race around the world (yes, she was racing another woman although she didn’t find out about it until she was halfway home) check out “Eighty Days” by Matthew Goodman.