1859 : Big Ben goes into operation in London
The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the
320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rings out over the Houses of
Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time on this day in
1859.
After a fire destroyed much of the Palace of Westminster--the
headquarters of the British Parliament--in October 1834, a standout
feature of the design for the new palace was a large clock atop a
tower. The royal astronomer, Sir George Airy, wanted the clock to have
pinpoint accuracy, including twice-a-day checks with the Royal
Greenwich Observatory. While many clockmakers dismissed this goal as
impossible, Airy counted on the help of Edmund Beckett Denison, a
formidable barrister known for his expertise in horology, or the
science of measuring time.
Denison's design, built by the company E.J. Dent & Co., was completed
in 1854; five years later, St. Stephen's Tower itself was finished.
Weighing in at more than 13 tons, its massive bell was dragged to the
tower through the streets of London by a team of 16 horses, to the
cheers of onlookers. Once it was installed, Big Ben struck its first
chimes on May 31, 1859. Just two months later, however, the heavy
striker designed by Denison cracked the bell. Three more years passed
before a lighter hammer was added and the clock went into service
again. The bell was rotated so that the hammer would strike another
surface, but the crack was never repaired.
The name "Big Ben" originally just applied to the bell but later came
to refer to the clock itself. Two main stories exist about how Big Ben
got its name. Many claim it was named after the famously long-winded
Sir Benjamin Hall, the London commissioner of works at the time it was
built. Another famous story argues that the bell was named for the
popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt, because it was the largest
of its kind.
Even after an incendiary bomb destroyed the chamber of the House of
Commons during the Second World War, St. Stephen's Tower survived, and
Big Ben continued to function. Its famously accurate timekeeping is
regulated by a stack of coins placed on the clock's huge pendulum,
ensuring a steady movement of the clock hands at all times. At night,
all four of the clock's faces, each one 23 feet across, are
illuminated. A light above Big Ben is also lit to let the public know
when Parliament is in session.
history.com/tdih.do
1889 : The Johnstown Flood
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6914
1902 : The Boer War ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5051
1962 : Architect of the Holocaust hanged in Israel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5052
1996 : Netanyahu elected prime minister of Israel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5053
##########################################
The famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the
320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rings out over the Houses of
Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time on this day in
1859.
After a fire destroyed much of the Palace of Westminster--the
headquarters of the British Parliament--in October 1834, a standout
feature of the design for the new palace was a large clock atop a
tower. The royal astronomer, Sir George Airy, wanted the clock to have
pinpoint accuracy, including twice-a-day checks with the Royal
Greenwich Observatory. While many clockmakers dismissed this goal as
impossible, Airy counted on the help of Edmund Beckett Denison, a
formidable barrister known for his expertise in horology, or the
science of measuring time.
Denison's design, built by the company E.J. Dent & Co., was completed
in 1854; five years later, St. Stephen's Tower itself was finished.
Weighing in at more than 13 tons, its massive bell was dragged to the
tower through the streets of London by a team of 16 horses, to the
cheers of onlookers. Once it was installed, Big Ben struck its first
chimes on May 31, 1859. Just two months later, however, the heavy
striker designed by Denison cracked the bell. Three more years passed
before a lighter hammer was added and the clock went into service
again. The bell was rotated so that the hammer would strike another
surface, but the crack was never repaired.
The name "Big Ben" originally just applied to the bell but later came
to refer to the clock itself. Two main stories exist about how Big Ben
got its name. Many claim it was named after the famously long-winded
Sir Benjamin Hall, the London commissioner of works at the time it was
built. Another famous story argues that the bell was named for the
popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt, because it was the largest
of its kind.
Even after an incendiary bomb destroyed the chamber of the House of
Commons during the Second World War, St. Stephen's Tower survived, and
Big Ben continued to function. Its famously accurate timekeeping is
regulated by a stack of coins placed on the clock's huge pendulum,
ensuring a steady movement of the clock hands at all times. At night,
all four of the clock's faces, each one 23 feet across, are
illuminated. A light above Big Ben is also lit to let the public know
when Parliament is in session.
history.com/tdih.do
1889 : The Johnstown Flood
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6914
1902 : The Boer War ends
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5051
1962 : Architect of the Holocaust hanged in Israel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5052
1996 : Netanyahu elected prime minister of Israel
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5053
##########################################
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