Big Ben in History
14 November 2012 (updated on 5 December 2012)
Parliament’s Great Bell, or Big Ben as it’s commonly known, made history on 14 November 2012 as its chimes were heard around the world as part of the BBC’s celebration to mark 90 years since its first radio broadcast.
Musician Damon Albarn was commissioned by the BBC to create a three-minute composition which was simultaneously broadcast across approximately sixty of its network, local, national and international stations. The composition opened with Big Ben’s chimes, a commonly heard sound on many news programmes.
Big Ben was also recently featured in the celebrations to mark the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 40 chimes rang out as part of the London 2012 Festival Commission, All the Bells.
Learn more about the history of Big Ben and download its famous chimes.