This Day in History: 31 May 2020
31 May 1859
161 years ago, today, the Big Ben clocktower, located at the top of Elizabeth Tower, rung out for the first time, over the Houses of Parliament. In 1834, after a fire destroyed the majority of the Palace of Westminster, a predominant feature of the new design was a large clock atop a tower. This was to have twice-a-day checks with the Royal Greenwich Observatory, in order to maintain pinpoint accuracy. Many clocktowers dismissed this goal, but the royal astronomer, Sir George Airy, commissioned the help of Edmund Beckett Denison for his expertise in horology.
There are two main stories about the origin of the nickname 'Big Ben'. Many claim that it was named after the London commissioner of works at the time, Sir Benjamin Hill. Others argue it was named after the popular heavyweight boxer, Benjamin Caunt, as it was the largest of its kind. Even after a World War Two bomb destroyed the chamber of the House of Commons, the tower and the Big Ben survived. In the war, the tower also played a role in not illuminating at night, as London was kept dark in an attempt to make German bombing raids more difficult. Although famous for its accurate timekeeping, in 1997, the clock stopped ticking for 54 minutes, and its bells were also delayed in 1962 due to snow build-up.
Want to find out more about the history of the Big Ben? Click here for more information, or here for a video instead with more details.
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