It’s not precisely known how Big Ben got its nickname, but two theories exist. Big Ben has been ringing ever since with the crack intact, though it has a different tone than when it started. A small square was also cut into the rim of the bell to prevent the crack from growing. The bell was turned a quarter so the hammer would strike a different area, and the hammer was replaced with a lighter version. Unlike the Liberty Bell, Big Ben was successfully repaired, and the hammer strike was modified. The hammer installed to strike the bell was thought to be too heavy, and it resulted in the cracking of the bell. The blame seemed to fall on what was striking the bell, however. But it lasted only a few months before it cracked. It was broken up and recast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and had its first ring in 1859. This bell cracked before it was ever installed in the tower. It was cast at John Warner & Sons at Stockton-on-Tees in 1856. UK Parliament/Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0 Big Benīig Ben, located in London, is the nickname of the bell of the clock in the tower over the Palace of Westminster and not the tower itself, like many believe. But the bell cracked again and was never rung another time. It could have been from heavy use over the years that weakened the bell, but the most widely held view, it seems, is that the bell had its last ring to commemorate Washington’s birthday in 1846.Ī crack had developed prior to this time which had been repaired by widening the crack more so the sides wouldn’t vibrate together. There is much debate about how and when the crack we know today really happened. It wasn’t known as the Liberty Bell until 1835, when the name appeared in a pamphlet by the New York Anti-Slavery Society. A replacement bell had arrived from Whitechapel in the same year, but it was agreed that it didn’t sound as good as the Pass and Stow bell. In 1753, the bell was finished and rung again, but the tone wasn’t right. Two local workmen named John Pass and John Stow (whose names appear on the bell) melted down the bell and recast it, adding copper to make it less brittle. Many believe that it cracked on the first test strike. They paid 100 pounds for it, and it arrived in 1752. The Liberty Bell was originally made for the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1751.

It is the oldest continuous business in Great Britain. The bells were cast at London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which was established in 1570 and continues to operate today. Both bells were cast by the same bell foundry, and each bell has a renowned crack. The Liberty Bell and Big Ben, two of the most famous bells in history, have two things in common.

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