There’s no one widely accepted story for how the recast bell got its now-famous crack. One account asserts that the bell fractured during Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the City of Brotherly Love in 1824. Another insists that it cracked while tolling a fire warning later that year.
Why does the Liberty Bell have a crack on it?
Why did the Liberty Bell crack in 1846? The cause that stuck (at least according to official city reports) was that the Liberty Bell was irreparably damaged in 1846, when Philadelphia Mayor John Swift ordered the bell rung to commemorate George Washington’s birthday .
How did the Liberty Bell get its famous crack?
There’s no one widely accepted story for how the recast bell got its now-famous crack. One account asserts that the bell fractured during Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the City of Brotherly Love in 1824. Another insists that it cracked while tolling a fire warning later that year.
Who was ringing the Liberty Bell when it cracked?
Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.
How did they break the Liberty Bell?
When the bell was struck, it did not break, but the sound produced was described by one hearer as like two coal scuttles being banged together. Mocked by the crowd, Pass and Stow hastily took the bell away and again recast it.
Who put the crack in the Liberty Bell?
Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris first ordered a bell for the bell tower in 1751 from the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted down that bell and cast a new one right here in Philadelphia.
Is the Liberty Bell still cracked?
The last big crack happened on Washington's Birthday. The Liberty Bell cracked up, literally, in February 1846, when it was rung on President's Day, celebrated on Washington's birthday, and then stopped ringing because of damage from a major crack.
What really cracked the Liberty Bell?
When the bell arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, it cracked on its first test strike. Two local craftsmen, John Pass and John Stow, twice cast a new bell using metal from the cracked English bell. They also added more copper, to make the bell less brittle, and silver, to sweeten its tone.
When did another crack develop in the Liberty Bell?
1846In the early 1800s, people who wanted to outlaw slavery called it the “Liberty Bell” and used it as a symbol for their campaign. In 1846, another crack began to develop in the bell, and it was repaired.
Can you touch the Liberty Bell?
Remember when you went to school on the first day and you had to write an essay about what you did on your summer vacation? Mine would be easy this year because I almost caused an international incident — on a minor scale, but international nevertheless.
How much is the Liberty Bell worth?
LIBERTY BELL BIG E IS WORTH $15,246 - The New York Times.
Is Pennsylvania misspelled on the Liberty Bell?
In 1876, the United States celebrated the Centennial in Philadelphia with a display of replica Liberty Bells from each state. Pennsylvania's display bell was made out of sugar. On the Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania is misspelled “Pensylvania.” This spelling was one of several acceptable spellings of the name at that time.
Is the Liberty Bell a replica?
The Liberty Bell's Little Secrets A fun fact for the Fourth of July: Our venerated Liberty Bell is actually a replica of the original. On this 4th of July weekend, Gary Nash, author of The Liberty Bell, joins host Scott Simon to tell us all we need to know about this symbol of American independence.
Did the Liberty Bell crack while announcing the reading of the Declaration?
Four days earlier, the historic document had been adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress, but the bell did not ring to announce the issuing of the document until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.
Can the Liberty Bell be repaired?
It could even be illegal: “Because the historic Liberty Bell has greater symbolic value, recognition, and power than it would have as a working bell, attempting to repair it so that it could be rung would constitute impairment under the Organic Act and the General Authorities Act.
When did Liberty Bell last ring?
February 22, 1846We don't know when it cracked There is much speculation but little evidence of when the Liberty Bell first cracked. We do, however, know that the last time it rang its last clear note was to commemorate George Washington's birthday on February 22, 1846.
What metal is the Liberty Bell made of?
Composition: 70% copper, 25% tin, small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver (a more detailed analysis is given below.) Size of "Crack": The "crack" is approximately 1/2 inch wide and 24.5 inches long.
Did the Liberty Bell crack while announcing the reading of the Declaration?
Four days earlier, the historic document had been adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress, but the bell did not ring to announce the issuing of the document until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.
Where is the Liberty Bell today?
Once placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the bell today is located across the street in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park.
When was the Liberty Bell last rung?
We don't know when it cracked There is much speculation but little evidence of when the Liberty Bell first cracked. We do, however, know that the last time it rang its last clear note was to commemorate George Washington's birthday on February 22, 1846.
Is the Liberty Bell a replica?
The Liberty Bell's Little Secrets A fun fact for the Fourth of July: Our venerated Liberty Bell is actually a replica of the original. On this 4th of July weekend, Gary Nash, author of The Liberty Bell, joins host Scott Simon to tell us all we need to know about this symbol of American independence.
When did the Liberty Bell become a symbol?
Once Americans gained independence in 1776, the landmark fell by the wayside until the 1830s, when abolitionists adopted the bell (dubbing it “The Liberty Bell” in William Lloyd Garrison’s anti-slavery publication, The Liberator) as a symbol for their movement.
How much did the recast bell weigh?
They also added more copper, to make the bell less brittle, and silver, to sweeten its tone. The recast behemoth weighed in at 2,000 pounds : 70 percent copper, 25 percent tin, and a scattering of lead, zinc, gold, silver, and arsenic.
What was the name of the building that was used to cast Big Ben?
In 1751, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly shelled out 100 pounds to London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry for a bell to hang in the State House (known post-Revolution as Independence Hall). The Whitechapel Bell Foundry—famous for casting Big Ben ...
Did the Liberty Bell crack?
Two legends about the Liberty Bell’s infamous fracture remain the most popular: one contends that the bell cracked during the 1835 funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall , though it may not be historically true—Philly newspaper stories about the funeral don’t mention the bell ringing.
When was the first bell cracked?
Although historians disagree on when the bell cracked, most believe that the crack happened almost immediately after the bell's initial use in 1752.
When was the Liberty Bell first used?
And it wasn't even called the Liberty Bell until long after it was hung. When the bell was first introduced in 1751, it was called the State House Bell, and was created for the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell nickname came much later, around 1839, when abolitionists leveraged the bell as a symbol in their ...
Why is the Liberty Bell called the Liberty Bell?
The Liberty Bell nickname came much later, around 1839, when abolitionists leveraged the bell as a symbol in their fight against slavery. Throughout American history, the bell has been used in the service of many different causes. But initially, it was just ... a bell. Advertisement.
Why was the bell used in World War 1?
Correction: The sentence on the role of the bell in World War I has been corrected to note that the bell was not sent on tour to drum up support for war bonds. Rather, it sent on tour to drum up support for the war effort. Later, it became a symbol for the drive to raise funds for the war via the selling of bonds.
Why was the bell hidden in the church?
It saw gatherings of the Second Continental Congress, as well as countless meetings that sparked the Revolutionary War. In 1777, as the British army threatened the city, locals removed the bell for fear of it being captured and melted for munitions. It was hidden under the floorboards of a church in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Why was the broken bell a symbol of the war?
In 1915, politicians decided to hold a ceremonial ringing of the broken bell in hopes of drumming up support for World War I. (The bell was actually tapped with a mallet .) That led to the bell becoming the symbol of the immense fundraising effort for the war in the form of buying Liberty Bonds in 1917 and 1918.
How tall is the State House bell?
It's an enormous bell, measuring 3 feet (1 meter) high with a circumference of 12 feet (3.6 meters) at the bottom lip. Made of about 70 percent copper and 25 percent tin, it tips the scales at nearly 2,100 pounds (943 kilograms). Once installed, the bell was used to alert citizens to urgent news, to summon lawmakers to the State House ...
