QUARANTINE BLOG # 273

December 28, 2020

We continue our look at monuments and historical constructs around the world with the most famous and most misnamed clock on the planet, the Great Clock inside the Elizabeth Tower, but almost unanimously called “Big Ben.”  The name is actually that of the largest bell in the tower.  Six monarchs and 41 prime ministers have come and gone since the bells first struck their now familiar music across Westminster.  

In 1844, following a fire that destroyed the Palace of Westminster, it was decided the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament should include a tower and a clock.  A massive bell was required and the first attempt cracked. The metal was melted down and the bell recast.  Big Ben first rang across Westminster on 31 May 1859.  A short time later, in September 1859, Big Ben cracked.  A lighter hammer was fitted and the bell rotated 90 degrees to present an undamaged section to the hammer.  This is the bell that is heard today.

The origin of the name Big Ben is not known, although two different theories exist.  The first is that is was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works, a large man who was known affectionately in the house as “Big Ben.”  The second theory is that it was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt, also known as “Big Ben.”

Big Ben is currently silent because restoration is underway on the Elizabeth Tower.    More than 160 years old, the clock tower suffers from many of the issues seen in buildings of its age, including crumbling stones, rusty ironwork, leaking roofs and, in this case, an aging clock.  Big Ben’s striking mechanism was locked on August 21, 2017, and except for Remembrance Day and New Year’s Day, it will not be heard again until all of the work is finished, sometime next year.

In the meantime, here are two videos of Big Ben ringing.  First, the chimes at noon.  And second, a timely ring.

You knew I would.

👉  On this day in 1832, John C. Calhoun resigned the vice presidency, citing political differences with President Andrew Jackson.  On December 12, 1832, Calhoun was elected to fill a South Carolina Senate seat left vacant after the resignation of Senator Robert Hayne, and sixteen days later, Calhoun resigned the vice presidency, becoming the first of only two vice presidents in U.S. history to resign the office.  

The second was Spiro T. Agnew, vice president under Richard Nixon.  When Nixon selected the relatively unknown Agnew to be his running mate, the pundits asked, “Spiro who?” considering Agnew unqualified for national office (However, he had already served as chief executive for Baltimore County and as Governor of Maryland – more qualifications than “community organizer.”).  Agnew resigned on October 10, 1973, while under indictment for corruption during his time as governor of Maryland.

👉  Clearing out a few left over cartoons and panels:

👉  Frank Sinatra “retired” for the first time in 1971.  He made it official in 1996, after a comeback in 1974.  In between 1971 and 1996 he performed over 1,000 concerts.  This clip, stirred in my memory by the “Regret” cartoon above, was from those beginning tours of 1974, at Madison Square Garden.  Here’s the Chairman of the Board singing “My Way.”

👉  Thirty-one words which affirm the values and freedom that the American flag represents are recited while facing the flag as a pledge of Americans’ loyalty to their country.  The Pledge of Allegiance was written for the 400th anniversary, in 1892, of the discovery of America.  In October 1892 Columbus Day programs that school children across the country first recited the Pledge of Allegiance this way: 

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and

to the Republic for which it stands:

one Nation indivisible, with Liberty

and Justice for all.

The pledge was published anonymously and was not copyrighted.  Controversy continues over whether the author was Francis Bellamy or James Upham, with Bellamy generally recognized as the author.

Bellamy he decided to write a pledge of allegiance, rather than a salute, because it was a stronger expression of loyalty – something particularly significant even 27 years after the Civil War ended.  “One Nation indivisible” referred to the outcome of the Civil War, and “Liberty and Justice for all” expressed the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. 

On Flag Day 1954, Congress passed a law which added the words “under God” to the  Pledge of Allegiance which now reads:

    I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

    and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation

    under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Today is Pledge of Allegiance Day.  It takes place on December 28, the anniversary of the day in 1945 when legislation, “gave official congressional sanction to the pledge.”

Astronaut David Scott salutes the Flag on August 1, 1971, during EVA on the Apollo 15 lunar mission.

👉  Concluding with another story inspired by the Pledge of Allegiance, this section is  from a sermon entitled “Christmas is for Children.”

Willy Farnsworth, five years old, from Chicago, was attending a Christian kindergarten, where he learned all kinds of prayers.  One day he saw his mother with a downcast look, she had recently lost her mother.

“Mama, do you want me to pray for you, mama?” Willy asked.  “That would be very nice, Willy,” she replied.

Willy bowed his head and prayed, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,” and he continued with great emphasis, “Under God.”  Willy’s Mom did not laugh.  She realized, “That also is a prayer, and Willy is really not confused.”

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