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“Big Ben” is Not the Famous Clock Tower, but Rather the Name of the Great Bell Inside the Tower.
If you’ve ever been to London, or even seen a picture of London, you’ve probably seen the giant clock tower at the corner of the Palace of Westminster. This tower is one of London’s major icons, ranking right up there with red double-decker buses, the London Eye, and Platform 9 ¾.
Contrary to popular belief, the clock tower itself is not named “Big Ben”. Rather, it is named “Elizabeth Tower”, after Queen Elizabeth II; named such during her Diamond Jubilee (the 2012 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne). Before that, it was just called “Clock Tower”. So why is it so often called “Big Ben”? That is due to the great bell inside the tower that chimes the hour out and goes by that name. Over time this has morphed into many calling the clock tower itself that even today, despite the recent, very public, name change.
Solid fact.
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and fun.
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Most important part of Fun Fact Friday
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I was so wrong for so long. It's quite a story.
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Congrats winner winner!
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