2023-12-31 08:50:45
It is one of the most famous bells in the world: the chime of Big Ben at Westminster Palace in London. This New Year’s Eve, the British BBC is celebrating a special anniversary: 100 years ago, it broadcast the Big Ben bells live for the first time at the turn of the year, thereby starting a tradition.
On December 31, 1923, BBC engineer AG Dryland climbed to the roof of a building opposite the British Parliament for the first time to record the midnight chime of Big Ben with a microphone. Since then, the BBC has broadcast the ringing of the bells live every year at the turn of the year.
The bell tower was built in the 1840s. It used to be called simply the “Clock Tower”, but in 2012 it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the then British Queen Elizabeth II. Since a multi-year renovation that began in 2017, GPS has ensured that the clock is accurate to the second. The watchmakers had previously checked this using their cell phones.
Big Ben rings every day, but the chime also marks important events in the United Kingdom such as the country’s exit from the EU in 2021 or the state funeral for Elizabeth II in 2022. For Strangeway, who maintains the world-famous clock together with two colleagues, it is a “fantastic job”. When he walks through London, he can’t help but look up at the clock in Elizabeth Tower and think with satisfaction, “Yes, it’s still working.”
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