- Sit down buckaroos because I’m gonna share some historical insight with you because of ignorant people who are trying to discard the most badass character in all of feminist characters in musical theatre history and I won’t take that. - Katherine Ethel Pulitzer was a real person - daughter of Joseph and Kate Pulitzer. So there’s fact number 1 to prove she was an actual living person in the 1800’s. Fact 2. When you say women weren’t journalists back then well you obviously have never heard nor read about Elizabeth Jane Cochran also known by her pen name “Nellie Bly”. She was the inspiration behind Katherine’s character in the first place. They basically merged the real Katherine with Nellie and created this character. Nellie Bly began writing for “The Pittsburg Dispatch” in 1885 and moved to New York City two years later to begin working at “New York World”. She was known for her investigative and undercover reporting, including posing as a sweatshop worker to expose poor working conditions faced by women. She earned her acclaim in 1887 when she went undercover at an asylum on Blackwell’s Island and posed as one of the patients to get the story and in turn had launched a full on investigation on the treatment of the institution and the well being of patients (which wasn’t a well being at all with neglect and physical abuse) in said facility. In 1889 she went around the world in a record-setting 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds in attempt to break the faux record of Phileas Fogg, the fictional title character in Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in 80 Days”. At the age of 18 (my age) she submitted a racy response to an editorial piece that had been published in The Pittsburgh Dispatch that made sexist statements towards women. The writer was Erasmus Wilson (known as the Quiet Observer or Q.O.) Nellie’s letter grabbed the attention of the paper’s managing editor, George Madden, who then offered her a position. She later published a book about the experience titled: “Around the World in 72 Days” in 1890. - So don’t you DARE tell me Katherine Plumber wasn’t a vital asset to these boy’s story. She’s more of an inspiration to me than ANY character I’ve read about. Nellie Bly is an inspiration who makes me want a writing career. I am very much like Katherine (in more ways than just having power bangs) and because of her I’ve learned to love myself. Because of her I can get through days when I’ve got a shit ton of Senior year homework knocking me down. Because of her I’m happier. Katherine and Nellie are huge inspirations to me and if you hate either one of them just unfollow me now. Because these two are my role models and always will be❤