Happy Birthday Big Ben

Big Ben became officially operational on September 7th, 1859, so this year, 2009, represents the clock’s 150th birthday!

One of the most famous clocks, Big Ben is, according to Wikipedia, the largest free-standing clock tower in the world. Big Ben stands over the Houses of Parliament in London.

Big Ben has four clock faces and is known worldwide as a symbol for London and Great Britain. Its chimes can sometimes be heard on the BBC’s radio programs – they have a distinctive sound you’re not likely to forget.

Here are some quick facts about Big Ben:

1. ‘Big Ben’ was originally the name of the largest bell within the clock (though today we usually refer to the entire clock and clock tower by this name).
2. Big Ben has four clock faces.
3. Each of the four faces of the clock is 23 foot square.
4. Big Ben contains a total of five clock bells.
5. ‘Big Ben’, the largest of the clock’s bells, is 7 and a half feet tall and weighs 13 tons.
6. The tower of Big Ben stands 316 feet high.
7. The numbers on the clock are each 4 feet tall.
8. Big Ben is always lit at night, but a special second lamp is lit whenever Parliament is in session.
9. Big Ben is the world’s largest four-faced chiming clock.
10. Despite heavy bombing during World War II, Big Ben continued to run accurately and chime on the hour.

But why is Big Ben called ‘Big Ben’?

There are two theories to explain this, though no one is 100% certain how Big Ben got its famous name.

Here are the two most likely theories:

1. It could be named after Benjamin Caunt, a heavyweight boxing champion popular at the time Big Ben was erected…the boxer’s nickname was ‘Big Ben’.
2. It could be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of the installation of the Great Bell (the largest of the clock’s five bells and the bell which is actually known as ‘Big Ben’).

This is one magnificent clock, and we hope that all of Online Clock’s users will join together in wishing Big Ben a very happy birthday!

Great Britain has a wide array of celebrations planned this year to honor this clock’s 150th birthday.

For more information on Big Ben and all of its 150th birthday celebrations, we urge you to check out the UK Parliament’s Big Ben Website.

Tags: alarm clock blog, alarmclockblog, big ben, big ben 150, big ben birthday, big ben london, chiming clock, clock bell, clock chimes, clock tower, clocks, london clocks, onlineclock.net, uk clocks

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