How Two of the Most Famous Bells in History Got Cracked

The Liberty Bell and Big Ben, two of the most famous bells in history, have two things in common. Both bells were cast by the same bell foundry, and each bell has a renowned crack.

The bells were cast at London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which was established in 1570 and continues to operate today. It is the oldest continuous business in Great Britain.

The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell was originally made for the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1751. They paid 100 pounds for it, and it arrived in 1752. Many believe that it cracked on the first test strike. Two local workmen named John Pass and John Stow (whose names appear on the bell) melted down the bell and recast it, adding copper to make it less brittle.

In 1753, the bell was finished and rung again, but the tone wasn’t right. Pass and Stow recast the bell again. A replacement bell had arrived from Whitechapel in the same year, but it was agreed that it didn’t sound as good as the Pass and Stow bell. It wasn’t known as the Liberty Bell until 1835, when the name appeared in a pamphlet by the New York Anti-Slavery Society.

There is much debate about how and when the crack we know today really happened. It could have been from heavy use over the years that weakened the bell, but…