1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,799 Speaker 1: show that turns back the clock of history every day 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: of the week. I'm Gabe Lucier and today we're looking 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: at the story behind one of England's most beloved landmarks, 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: the ever reliable and instantly recognizable Big Ben. The day 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: was May thirty first, eighteen fifty nine, the world famous 8 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: big Ben clock bell rang out over London for the 9 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: first time. Although it's now one of the city's most 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: popular tourist attractions, many visitors don't realize that the name 11 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: big Ben originally applied only to the massive bell at 12 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: the top of the tower, and not to the tower 13 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: itself or even to its clock, of which have their 14 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: own official names. For most of its existence, the three 15 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty foot high tower was known simply as 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: the Clock Tower, but in twenty twelve it was renamed 17 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Tower in honor of Queen Elizabeth the Seconds Diamond Jubilee. 18 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: As for the four sided clock that adorns the tower's peak, 19 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: its official moniker is the Great Clock of Westminster, named 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: for the district of central London where it resides. All 21 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 1: that said, Big Ben is a much catchier and friendlier 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: name for a landmark, so most people now use it 23 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: to refer to the entire structure, tower clock and all 24 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: the true Big Ben, also known as the Great Bell, 25 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: is the largest of the clock's five chimes. It stands 26 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: more than seven feet tall, measures nine feet in diameter, 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: and weighs approximately fourteen tons. It's surrounded by four smaller 28 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: quarter bells, which chime by themselves every fifteen minutes. Then 29 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: at the stroke of each hour, Big Ben rings out 30 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: alongside them, with the number of chimes indicating the current hour. 31 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: For example, here's what five o'clock sounds like. Now that 32 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: you're better acquainted with Big Ben, you may be wondering 33 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: where its name came from. I mean, the big part 34 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: is self explanatory, but who is Ben. The identity of 35 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: the bell's namesake is still up for debate, but there 36 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: are two main contenders. The first is Benjamin Kant, a 37 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: champion heavyweight boxer of the nineteenth century who was said 38 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: to be the largest in his field, just like Big 39 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: Ben the bell. The second, more likely answer is that 40 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: the bell took its name from Sir Benjamin Hall, a 41 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: lanky civil engineer and politician who was known for giving 42 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: long winded speeches. As London's Commissioner of Works, Hall oversaw 43 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: the final stages of the tower's construction, including the installation 44 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: of its great bell, and while there is no official 45 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: record of the bell's naming, it's worth noting that Hall's 46 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: name is literally inscribed on it. Still, no matter who 47 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: it's named for, Big Ben is by far the most 48 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: famous bell to ever hang over the Palace of Westminster, 49 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: the headquarters of the British Parliament. However, it wasn't the 50 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: first bell to take up residents there. Roughly six hundred 51 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: years before Big Ben's first chime, a different tower is 52 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: said to have stood in the same location. Just like 53 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: the present structure, it had a built in clock with 54 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: a great bell to toll the hours. Some say the 55 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: bell was called Edward, possibly after King Edward the First, 56 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: but it eventually came to be known as Old Tom. Unfortunately, 57 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: the original clock tower was poorly maintained, and after several 58 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: stalled plans for renovations, Tom was taken down and gifted 59 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: to Saint Paul's Cathedral, only to be broken on the 60 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: way there. The tower itself is believed to have been 61 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: demolished in the early seventeen hundreds, leaving the Houses of 62 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: Parliament without a public clock for more than a century. 63 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: Plans to build a replacement didn't come together until eighteen 64 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: thirty four, when a fire destroyed most of the palace grounds. 65 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: This prompted the British government to solicit design for a 66 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: new Palace of Westminster, with architect Charles Berry's submission eventually 67 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: chosen as the winner. Funnily enough, Barry's initial designs didn't 68 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: include a clock tower, but after consulting with fellow architect 69 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: Augustus Pugin, he decided to add one in the final draft. 70 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: He also hired Pugin to help achieve the intricate Gothic 71 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: Revival look that he had in mind for the tower, 72 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: knowing that Pugin had designed many beautiful churches in the 73 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:34,239 Speaker 1: same style. Construction of the new Palace of Westminster began 74 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: in eighteen forty, with the foundation for the clock tower 75 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: laid three years later. By that point, the final design 76 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: of the clock had yet to be worked out, so 77 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: another competition was held to see who would build it. 78 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: Royal astronomer Sir George Airy was tasked with judging the submissions, 79 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: but because of his strict requirements for the clock's accuracy, 80 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: it took him seven years to declare a winner. In 81 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty two, Airy approved the designs of Edmund Beckett 82 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: Denison and hired clockmaker Edward John Dent to bring them 83 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: to life. Sadly, Dent passed away just one year into 84 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: the project, but his step son Frederick Dent was able 85 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: to complete the clock mechanism in eighteen fifty four. Two 86 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: years after that, the first big Ben bell was cast 87 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: in County Durham, but it developed a four foot long 88 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: crack during testing and had to be replaced. The second 89 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: big Ben was cast by a different manufacturer and fared 90 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: much better during testing. In April of eighteen fifty eight, 91 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: it was transported from East London to New Palace Yard 92 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,799 Speaker 1: on a carriage pulled by sixteen white horses. The next 93 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: step was to raise Big Ben to its permanent home 94 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: in the belfry, but that proved easier said than done. 95 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: It was only after the bell was on site that 96 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: workers realized it was too why to be lifted vertically 97 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: through the building's narrow stairwell. Thankfully, with some careful angling, 98 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: a strong winch and a lot of trial and error, 99 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: the workers managed to hoist the bell to its two 100 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: hundred foot high perch, a task that took thirty full 101 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: hours in total. It took another month to get the 102 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: clockwork running smoothly, but at last, on May thirty first, 103 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty nine, Big Ben chimed over London for the 104 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: very first time. The bell kept up its hourly routine 105 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: for the next four months, but disaster struck again when 106 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: the second Big Ben also developed a crack. The bell 107 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: fell silent for the next four years while experts tried 108 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: to work out what went wrong and what to do 109 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: about it. Once again, it was Sir George Airy to 110 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: the rescue. At his suggestion, the bell's hammer was replaced 111 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: with a smaller, lighter version than the bell itself was 112 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: rotated ninety degrees so that the cracked portion wouldn't be 113 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: struck again. Airy also arranged for a small square to 114 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: be cut out of the bell to prevent the crack 115 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: from spreading. These inexpensive, low tech solutions effectively saved Big 116 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: Ben from the scrap yard, and the same could be 117 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: said for the Great Clock of Westminster. Its fourteen foot 118 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: long pendulum can sometimes swing too fast or too slow 119 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: based on a variety of environmental factors. So to help 120 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: ensure a steady swing rate and accurate timekeeping, a stack 121 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: of old British pennies was placed a top the pendulum 122 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: to balance its center of mass. In most cases, this 123 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: would have been accomplished with clockweights, but I guess the 124 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: clockmaker ran out and had the substitute heavy coins instead. 125 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: Whatever the rationale, the tradition continues to this day, even 126 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: though the penny itself was demonetized in nineteen seventy one. 127 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: Strange or not, the system does work, as adding or 128 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: removing a penny can alter the clock speed by two 129 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: fifths of a second over the course of twenty four hours. 130 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 1: Thanks to ingenious fixes like that Big Ben, the tower 131 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:15,199 Speaker 1: clock and bell have continued to function since eighteen fifty nine. 132 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: There have been a few exceptions along the way, thanks 133 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: to World War II bombings, blackout regulations, mechanical failures, and 134 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: structural renovations, but Big Ben always rebounds eventually and never 135 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 1: stays silent for long. I'm gay, blues gay, and hopefully 136 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 137 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with 138 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: the show. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 139 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have any 140 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, feel free to send them my way 141 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:56,559 Speaker 1: by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks 142 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: to Kasby Bias for producing the show, and thanks to 143 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 144 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: for another day in History class.