Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool
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0:02 - 0:05You're watching FreeSchool!
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0:07 - 0:10Big Ben, officially called
Elizabeth Tower, -
0:10 - 0:15is one of the most famous and popular
landmarks in London, England. -
0:15 - 0:19The tower has four clock faces
- one on each side -
0:19 - 0:22and five bells
hanging inside. -
0:22 - 0:26Many people are surprised
to learn that 'Big Ben' really refers -
0:26 - 0:32to the largest bell inside the tower,
and not the clock or the tower itself. -
0:33 - 0:36The story of Big Ben
began in 1834 -
0:36 - 0:40when a fire destroyed
the old Palace of Westminster. -
0:40 - 0:46A new Parliament building was constructed,
and along with it, a clock tower. -
0:46 - 0:49Construction of the new
building began in 1840, -
0:49 - 0:53but the clock would not
be completed for decades. -
0:53 - 0:56One reason for this is that
the Royal Astronomer demanded -
0:56 - 1:01that the clock be accurate
to within one second, -
1:01 - 1:05something that at the time
was considered impossible. -
1:05 - 1:08The design for the clock
was completed in 1851 -
1:08 - 1:11and the clock
was completed in 1854, -
1:11 - 1:17but the tower was not
ready for it until 1859. -
1:17 - 1:21The largest bell is officially
known as the Great Bell, -
1:21 - 1:24but most people
call it 'Big Ben.' -
1:24 - 1:27No one is sure
where it got its name: -
1:27 - 1:29it might have been named
for Sir Benjamin Hall, -
1:29 - 1:32the project commissioner
at the time, -
1:32 - 1:37or it might have been named for
Benjamin Caunt, who was a famous boxer. -
1:38 - 1:42The original Great Bell
was cast in 1856. -
1:42 - 1:45It weighed 16 tons
and was so large -
1:45 - 1:51that it had to be transported
on a trolley pulled by 16 horses. -
1:51 - 1:55While it was waiting to be installed
in the tower the bell was tested, -
1:55 - 1:59but the hammer used to strike it
caused it to crack beyond repair -
1:59 - 2:02and the bell
had to be recast. -
2:02 - 2:08The new bell was cast in 1858 and
weighed only thirteen and a half tons. -
2:08 - 2:11It is seven and a half feet
or 2.3 meters tall -
2:11 - 2:16and 9 feet or 2.75 meters
in diameter. -
2:16 - 2:19Once the tower was ready
Big Ben had to be hauled -
2:19 - 2:23200 feet or 61 meters
up into the belfry, -
2:23 - 2:28a job which took more
than a day to complete. -
2:28 - 2:35Big Ben chimed for the first time
in 1859, more than 150 years ago. -
2:35 - 2:39Unfortunately, the hammer used
to strike the bell was too heavy, -
2:39 - 2:44causing it to crack only a few
months after it was installed. -
2:44 - 2:48Big Ben was out of commission
for three years. -
2:48 - 2:52A square of metal was removed
from the bell around the crack -
2:52 - 2:57and the bell was turned slightly so that
the hammer would strike solid metal. -
2:57 - 3:00This damage to the bell
remains to this day, -
3:00 - 3:04but Big Ben strikes
the hour just fine. -
3:04 - 3:09In addition to Big Ben,
four smaller bells hang in the belfry. -
3:09 - 3:13These four smaller bells
are called quarter bells. -
3:13 - 3:15They play part of a melody
every fifteen minutes, -
3:15 - 3:19and the full melody
on the hour. -
3:48 - 3:53Elizabeth Tower is 315 feet
or 96 meters high, -
3:53 - 3:59made of brickwork and cast iron,
with a thick concrete foundation. -
3:59 - 4:02Each of the four clock
faces are 180 feet -
4:02 - 4:05or almost 55 meters
above the ground, -
4:05 - 4:09and are 23 feet
or 7 meters across. -
4:09 - 4:15The iron frame of each clock face
supports 312 pieces of glass. -
4:15 - 4:20At night, each huge clock face
is illuminated by a set of 28 light bulbs, -
4:20 - 4:25but the clock was originally
lit up by gas lights. -
4:25 - 4:27Each night, someone
would have to light each lamp -
4:27 - 4:31and make sure that
they stayed lit until morning. -
4:32 - 4:35Big Ben is
famously reliable. -
4:35 - 4:37The pendulum that determines
the speed of the clock -
4:37 - 4:40swings
every two seconds. -
4:40 - 4:45To speed it up or slow it down,
pennies are added or removed. -
4:45 - 4:47Adding or removing
a penny from the pendulum -
4:47 - 4:52will change its speed
by .4 seconds per day. -
4:52 - 4:54You may be surprised
to learn that -
4:54 - 4:58this gigantic clock is not
powered by electricity, -
4:58 - 5:03but is instead wound up
three times a week. -
5:03 - 5:10Once the clock was wound by hand,
but now most of it is wound by machines. -
5:10 - 5:15For more than 150 years, the tower
was known simply as the clock tower, -
5:15 - 5:19or sometimes
'St. Stephen's Tower.' -
5:19 - 5:23It was not renamed
Elizabeth Tower until 2012, -
5:23 - 5:27on the occasion of Queen
Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, -
5:27 - 5:31which celebrated
her 60th year as queen. -
5:32 - 5:36Although Big Ben is a popular
tourist attraction, you cannot go inside -
5:36 - 5:39unless you are a resident
of the United Kingdom -
5:39 - 5:42and are sponsored by
a member of Parliament. -
5:42 - 5:47Visitors who wish to see the top
have to climb over 300 stairs to reach it, -
5:47 - 5:52because there is currently
no elevator inside the tower. -
5:53 - 5:59However, Big Ben is scheduled to undergo
major renovation beginning in 2017, -
5:59 - 6:05and among other changes and repairs,
an elevator is expected to be installed. -
6:05 - 6:10I hope you enjoyed learning about
Big Ben today. Goodbye till next time!
- Title:
- Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool
- Description:
-
It's commonly known as Big Ben, but this famous landmark is actually named Elizabeth Tower in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. It's more than 150 years old, 300 feet high, and has four clock faces each 23 feet across. It's famously accurate, and it's kept that way by stacking and unstacking pennies on its pendulum!
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Photos of Big Ben's interior are reproduced with the permission of Parliament.
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 06:14
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool | ||
Alexandre Clemente edited English subtitles for Big Ben for Kids: Famous World Landmarks for Children - FreeSchool |