Why is the liberty bell cracked ?

edmundfitzgerald

What happened to it ?

calaban7

I knew a Marion Barry joke that involved the liberty bell.

jimq112

I think that idiot from last weekend stole his password or something

bman90278

It was probably cracked by Mike Schmidt or Steve Carlton.

rube26105

the dinger fell out, needed to sound alarm, so i head butted it

rube26105

so who stole ed?

markj111

It cracked when it was rung at a funeral (John Marshall?).

rube26105

somebody still stole ed,some kind of hostile password takeover

Blackborder

The bell was ordered in 1745 or 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly for use in the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. It was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London and delivered to Philadelphia in late August/early September 1752 via the ship Hibernia. It cost £100, weighed 2,080 lbs, is twelve feet in the lip circumference, and three feet from the lip to the top. The following March, the bell was hung from temporary scaffolding in the square outside the State House. To the dismay of onlookers, the bell cracked during testing. Isaac Norris, speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, wrote "I had the mortification to hear that it was cracked by a stroke of the clapper without any other viollence [sic] as it was hung up to try the sound."

During the 19th century, the bell tolled at the death of Alexander Hamilton (1804), Lafayette's return to Philadelphia (1824), the deaths of Adams and Jefferson (1826), Washington's 100th birthday celebration (1832) and the deaths of Lafayette (1834), John Marshall (1835) and William Henry Harrison (1841).

It is not certain when the second crack appeared (the first after the recastings), but the bell was repaired in February 1846. The method of repair, known as stop drilling, required drilling along the hairline crack so that the sides of the fracture would not reverberate.

On February 22, 1846, the bell was tolled for several hours in the tower of Independence Hall in honor of George Washington's birthday. When the bell was rung, the crack grew from the top of the repaired crack to the crown of the bell, rendering the bell unusable. Contrary to appearances, the large crevice that currently exists in the Liberty Bell is a repair from the expansions, and not the crack itself.

nam812

This moment in history has been brought to you by blackborder deli meats. When having friends over to lunch, dont just give them any old ham, make it blackborder smoked ham, they'll thank you for it.

joestalin

<< <i>This moment in history has been brought to you by blackborder deli meats. When having friends over to lunch, dont just give them any old ham, make it blackborder smoked ham, they'll thank you for it. >>



The Rays are going to be smoking some meat tonight!

JS

bman90278

<< <i>On February 22, 1846, the bell was tolled for several hours in the tower of Independence Hall in honor of George Washington's birthday. When the bell was rung, the crack grew from the top of the repaired crack to the crown of the bell, rendering the bell unusable. Contrary to appearances, the large crevice that currently exists in the Liberty Bell is a repair from the expansions, and not the crack itself. >>



What does Rube think? I heard he might have been there for part of the Liberty Bell cracking.

On a side note. Philadelphia gets to keep the Liberty Bell because they gotta have something worth visiting.

rube26105

i told em the truth steve , history books will like,we were so good to the indians and stuff, we had to sound the alarm and the dinger fell out,l so i hit it with me head,

Blackborder

<< <i>This moment in history has been brought to you by blackborder deli meats. When having friends over to lunch, dont just give them any old ham, make it blackborder smoked ham, they'll thank you for it. >>




Thanks for the plug nam but I'm promoting the prosciutto cotto this month, not the smoked ham. Be sure to tell your friends and family.

rube26105

i still hit it with my head