Big Ben is the bell of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London. It is an iconic landmark and tourist destination. The clock is accurate and reliable, surviving the Second World War, but has had accidents, including stopping due to starlings and weather. It has chimed continuously since 1859 and is adjusted with old British pennies. The tower is 315.9 feet tall, and the bell weighs 13.8 tons. It was the largest clock tower in the world until 2012.
Big Ben is the bell of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London which houses the parliament of the United Kingdom. The clock tower was built between 1843 and 1858. It has since become an iconic London landmark and one of the most popular destinations for tourists. “Big Ben” refers to the largest bell inside the clock tower. The watch is known to be very accurate and reliable. In fact, it even survived the Second World War and didn’t stop when the nearby House of Commons was bombed. However, that doesn’t mean that the watch has never had an accident. In 1949, so many starlings perched on the minute hand of the clock that it stopped. Starlings are short-tailed, dark-colored European birds that congregate and fly together in sometimes enormous numbers. The weather has also proved guilty on two counts, once in 1962 when snow caused Big Ben to be delayed, and again in 2005 when temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). Aside from these accidents and rare repairs or renovations, Big Ben has chimed continuously since it first struck in 1859. If the clock runs too slow or too fast, it is adjusted with old British pennies in the pendulum. Cents are added if it’s too slow and cents removed if it’s too fast.
More information about Big Ben:
“O Lord, protect our Queen Victoria the First” in Latin is inscribed at the base of each clock face of Big Ben.
The Big Ben tower is 315.9 feet (96.3 meters) tall. Its bell weighs 13.8 tons and the minute hands weigh approximately 220 pounds (100 kilograms).
Big Ben was the largest clock tower in the world. As of 2012, the largest clock tower in the world is “Abraj Al-Bait”, the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower.
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