Discover the Secrets: Top 10 Amazing Fun Facts About Big Ben You Never Knew!

1. Big Ben: The Bell, Not the Tower

If you've ever played the popular game of "Telephone" – where whispers often turn into misnomers down the line – you'll appreciate how London's iconic clock tower has stumbled upon its own amusing little mix-up: Big Ben, the nickname we all know and love, actually refers to the Great Bell hidden within the Elizabeth Tower and not the entire tower itself. As for the bell's namesake, it's long debated whether it was Sir Benjamin Hall or the heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt who inspired it – either way, this colossal confusion is music to our ears!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Sir Benji: The True Namesake

Tickle me Sir Benji! Turns out the legendary Big Ben has been playing a game of name swap with us all this time: In reality, Big Ben is the colossal 13-ton bell inside the tower itself, named after its overseer's stylish namesake Sir Benjamin Hall, while the tower was rechristened as the Elizabeth Tower in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Who knew?
Source => history.com

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3. Don't Judge a Bell by Its Tower

They say you shouldn't judge a bell by its tower, or something like that: Big Ben is, in fact, not the name of the clock tower, but the nickname of the massive bell that resides within it! The tower's official name is Elizabeth Tower, christened in 2012 in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. And if you think size matters, here's a correction for your records: the hefty bell weighs a whopping 13.5 long tons (15.1 short tons), not the oft-mentioned 13.7 tons, making it a weighty topic of conversation indeed.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Time Lord Alias Revealed

When London's iconic time lord isn't busy with the Doctor and the TARDIS, it prefers to go by a rather surprising alias: Big Ben actually refers to the Great Bell inside the clock, while the clock itself is called the Great Clock of the Elizabeth Tower, weighing a whopping 5 tonnes!
Source => parliament.uk

5. Holmes-worthy Mistaken Identity

In a classic case of mistaken identity - that even Sherlock Holmes may have made: Big Ben is actually the moniker of the giant bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Once the ongoing renovations wrap up in spring 2022, UK residents can once again huff and puff up the 334 steps for a breathtaking view of London; alas, only locals can enjoy sampling this tall, British treat.
Source => historic-cornwall.org.uk

6. WWII Bomb-Dodging Champion

Boldly sustained, dodging bombs like a champ, and definitely not "deflated" by World War II: Big Ben (technically, the Elizabeth Tower) managed to avoid direct hits from any bombs, crediting its survival to sheer luck and the difficulty of targeting such a small structure from high-level bombers.
Source => slate.com

7. Tower by Any Other Name Still Chimes Sweet

Oh, what's in a name? A tower called Clock by any other name would still chime as sweet: Big Ben is actually the nickname of the Great Bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, not the entire clock tower itself! Turns out the tower was called the Clock Tower initially, but decided to switch things up in 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. While it may not have the bragging rights of being the "largest and most accurate" clock anymore, it still stands tall and proud at 316 feet, and it'll tell you the time after you've climbed the 334 steps to its belfry.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Uncle Buzzy of Clock Towers

Much like an eccentric uncle who insists his name is Uncle Buzzy, but is actually Bartholomew: Big Ben is, in fact, not the name of the clock tower at all. The true title for this towering timekeeper is the Elizabeth Tower, named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, while "Big Ben" actually refers to the great bell hidden within its walls.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. A Hefty Surprise Inside

Well, tickle my chimes and call me Rosie! It turns out Big Ben has been fooling us all along: The name actually refers to the hefty 13.5-ton Great Bell housed within the now-Elizabeth Tower, which held the title of the UK's largest bell for 23 years, rather than the entire clock tower itself.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Penny-Powered Precision

Tick-tock to the top: In a penny-dropping twist of time, London's majestic clock tower, Big Ben, gains two-fifths of a second per day with pre-decimal pennies as precision tools. Yet, from 1859, it remains astonishingly accurate, only losing about one second per day on average – truly a granddaddy of punctuality in the clock world.
Source => historic-cornwall.org.uk