Tag Archives: american culture

Learn About Big Ben In England

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Ask anyone who has walked the streets of London and most likely they heard the “ding-dong” chimes of the Great Bell nicked named Big Ben. That is if they happened to have crossed anywhere in the area of Westminster, London. Big Ben lives on the 320-foot (97.53M) Clock Tower, renamed recently as The Elizabeth Tower and is more than 150 years old. If you thought Big Ben was a person you thought wrong. It is a four-faced chiming clock and a bell placed at Westminster Palace and has been recognized as a beloved landmark in England for years. He’s been around for so long, it makes you wonder what he would say if he could talk!

Fun Facts about Big Ben

Big Ben was created at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry on the 10^th April 1858 and took two weeks to cool down once it was poured into the mold. It was transported to Westminster on a horse drawn carriage and a mammoth crowd lined the streets to cheer as Big Ben passed by. Ben’s bell weighs a massive 13.8 tons, as heavy as two large elephants. The Bell is 2.2 meters (7 feet 2 inches) high and also has a diameter of 2.7 meters (8 feet 10 inches). The Big Ben clock is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. 31^st May 1859 was when Big Ben started ticking and its four faces stand 55 meters above the ground. Each face of the clock is 7 meters (23 feet), the hour hand 2.7 meters (9 feet), and the minute hand 4.3 meters (14 feet) long.

The Immortal Big Ben

Yes, Big Ben seems to be immortal (living forever). He has had a couple of injuries, though. Just after his birth, Big Ben cracked during testing and had to be made all over again. The Bell has lived over 150 years and is still chiming in the streets of Westminster. Big Ben has three birthdays; that’s on 10^th April 1858, 31^st May 1859, and finally 11^th July 1859 when it first chimed. None of the wars which have raged in Europe have ever destroyed him.

Musically Speaking, Ben is a Genius

The Big Ben Bell chimes the musical note of A, and the quarter bells at the tower chime G sharp, F sharp, B, and E. The sequence of pitches produced by Big Ben when chiming is named the Cambridge Chimes. The chimes are also programmed to sound like they are actual words from Psalm 37. Anyone who stands in the belfry as Big Ben chimes will experience musical vibrations running from their head, through their bodies, into their toes.

Big Ben is Celebrated all over the World

Big Ben is the pride of Londoners and has been honored for hundreds of years. Did you know that New Year’s celebrations in the United Kingdom are conducted at Big Ben’s he Elizabeth Tower? TV and Radio stations in London tune to the chimes of Big Ben during the New Year and audiences far into the country listen to the Musical Ben. England voted Big Ben the number one British landmark during a 2008 survey. Is there anyone who wants to try something magical? Well, stand with a portable radio at the bottom of Big Ben’s tower and try to hear the chimes from either the radio or the tower. The chimes will be heard on the radio first even before the ones from the tower are heard! Big Ben’s sound is as fast as light!

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Learn MORE about the Statue of Liberty

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Located on Liberty Island in New York, this American Statue has stood for liberty and freedom for the United States for many years. Millions of tourists come to visit the statue and to go to the top to view New York City. For many people who first come to the United States to live the Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol of welcome. But there’s much more to know about this lady made of steel.

Fun Facts About the Statue of Liberty

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty (called Lady Liberty) has an actual birthday? She does! October 28, 1886 was when she was built. She weighs 450,000 pounds (204, 100kg) and has 354 stairs which people can climb in order to have a bird’s eye view of New York Harbor, or New York City in the distance. Your parents can take the elevator to the top, too. If you climb to the top, you will be 151 feet (46m) up in the air. Once you are up there, you’ll have 25 windows to look out of.

Lady Liberty Has Big Feet!

The Statue of Liberty has big feet! She wears a size 879 sandal, and each foot is about 25 feet long. Most people think that this Lady standing on an island in the water is painted green, but she isn’t painted at all. Lady Liberty is made out of copper, a type of metal that turns green over time.

What’s With Lady Liberty’s Clothes?

The Statue of Liberty was created by an artist by the name of Auguste Bartholdi, who was from France. The statue was a gift to the United States from France in honor of the Declaration of Independence. Auguste created Lady Liberty from a picture he saw of a Roman goddess of liberty called, Libertas. Her crown has seven spikes on it to represent all of the continents of the world. She holds a torch over her head and a tablet in her other arm. The torch stands for being the light unto the world, and offering freedom and safety to everyone who decides to live in America. Last, but not least, there is a broken chain under her foot, which reminds people that they are to live freely.

Lady Liberty Was NOT Easy to Build

Auguste had many men who worked with him to build the Statue of Liberty. They worked seven days a week, for more than ten hours a day, for almost nine years in order to complete the work. Then, Lady Liberty was so big that they realized they couldn’t ship her unless they took her apart again. She was fit into dozens of crates and then put back together again when she came to the United States. If you want to go and see her, you have to take a ferry, a type of boat, to get to the island.

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What In The World Is The Taj Mahal?

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Ever wonder what the Taj Mahal is, or why it’s so important to India? Well, there’s a deeper, more powerful story behind it than you may realize, especially if you’re around Spartan’s age! So let’s look at how we can travel there together through this amazing story of love…

So let’s look at how we can travel there together through this amazing story of love…

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, in India, and is considered worldwide to be one of the seven wonders of the world. Made of white marble, this large castle-like structure on the Yamuna river. For all its beauty, however, it was built out of sorrow and grief by the Shaah Jahan after the death of his wife. Find out why this grand building is called the ‘crown of palaces’.

Fun Facts about the Taj Mahal
The all white structure took more than 20 years to finish and is said to change colors throughout the day, depending on how the light strikes it. More than 20,000 people helped to build it in 1632 and included over 1,000 elephants. The center dome is very high, nearly 240 feet (73 m), and has four smaller domes that surround it. The building is called a mausoleum, which is a building that is dedicated to the dead and often houses the remains of those who have died.

Walls Worth A Million
So beloved was the Shah’s wife that he took precious gemstones and had them built into the walls around the building. The builders of the Taj Mahal thought about the future of the structure and built the smaller domes that surround the larger one so that in the event of an earthquake that they would fall away from the main dome, thus protecting it from damage.

The Taj Mahal’s Reflecting Pool and Secret Garden
The Taj Mahal is more than just a building. There are vast acres of gardens and pools surrounding it. One of these pools is called the reflecting pool, which is very shallow and reflects the image of the Taj Mahal. The Shah’s wife, Mumtaz Maha, is not actually buried in the structure at all, but was buried in the lush gardens, which he was sure she would have loved. This building was built so that all of those who would visit over the centuries would be reminded of his love for his wife.

The Building that Love Built
Shah Jahan first met Mumtaz when they were only 14 and 15 years old. Because they were so young they were made to wait five years before they were allowed to be married. Once they were married they had many children. Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child and Shah Jahan was so sad that he ordered his court to be sad with him for two more years. Twelve years after the building was completed, Shah Jahan died, too. He was buried next to his wife. Now, everyone who visits can see the beauty of the buildings, walk through the lovely gardens and see the building that was built with love.

Want to learn more about other places in the world with powerful stories? Check out the Spartan And The Gren Egg Explorer Pin Set to find more places you can travel to!

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