Stock Photo - Apr. 04, 1959 - This year is the hundredth birthday of Big Ben: This year is the hundredth birthday of Big Ben. The first day of its service as a timekeeper is reckoned as May 31, and as a striking clock July 11, in 1859. The name is traditionally derived from the nickname of Sir Benjamin Hall, a stout party who had been First Commissioner of Works in 1855-58. It is important to remember that Big Ben is strictly the hour bell; although the name has been extended in ordinary speech to include the chimes, the dials, and even the clock tower. The original Big Ben was cast on Aug. 6, 1856 at Norton-on-Tees and shipped to London where it was pulled over Westminster Bridge in a truck drawn by 16 white horses and hung on gallows in the New Palace Yard for testing. A crack was discovered and the bell had to be recast. A few months later after starting work in the tower, Big Ben the second also cracked, and up to 1862 it remained silent until adjusted on the advice of the Astronomer Royal. This crack is still apparent. Photo shows a general view of the clock room showing the works of Big Ben. (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)