Big Ben Trivia

On May 31, 1859 the famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rang out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time. 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. Two months later, however, the heavy striker designed by Edmund Beckett Denison, a formidable barrister known for his expertise in horology, or the science of measuring time, cracked the bell. Three more years passed before a lighter hammer was added and the clock went into service again.