These hours on a tower of Parliament of the United Kingdom hear all over the world. Microphones of radio service of the Air Forces transfer their fight each hour. With Big Ben's first blow in the night from 31 on 1 planet officially under the international time standard should enter in a new millenium. In Big Ben of tourists 96 metre towers do not let to get on top it is possible only on a narrow spiral staircase. 334 steps will result on the small open area in which centre there is a legendary bell. Big Ben also is only one bell. Its height is more white 2 metres, and diameter is equal almost to 3 metres. Big Ben's name is surrounded with interesting stories. The official version: the bell is named in honour of the chief of civil work Benjamin Hola's sulphur. For the impressive sizes to the construction superintendent have given a nickname Big Ben. Other version - the bell has received the name from the athlete and the boxer of times of queen Victoria.

Big Ben and other small bells surrounding it beat out a ringing of following words: "Through this hour the Lord stores me and force it will not allow to anybody to stumble ' After a peal of bells the first blow of a hammer about Big Ben precisely coincides with the first second of the beginning of hour. Each 2 days the mechanism passes careful check and greasing, the day temperature and pressure is considered. But, as any clockwork, hours on a tower of English parliament sometimes are late or hasten. It is necessary to tell that an error not big only 1,5 - 2 seconds. To rectify situation the coin, old English of a penny is necessary only. Anybody precisely does not know to whom to the first has come to mind thought to use coins, but the idea has worked. The old English of a penny put on a pendulum by a dyne of 4 metres accelerates its movement for 2,5 seconds for days. Adding or cleaning a penny, the inspector thus achieves accuracy. The mechanism, despite the almost 1,5 century history and weight in 5 tons, works excellent.

Big Ben's dials look at all 4 parts of the world. They from Birmingham are made has fallen down, hour hands are cast from pig-iron, and minute are made of copper sheet. It is counted up that minute hands pass for a year the general distance in 190 km. Big Ben - a symbol of time. The period of the greatest dawn of the country. And an inscription in Latin: "My God store queen Viktoriju1 ' - a tribute of personal respect to the monarch at which there was such concept as British Empire. All know that such Big Ben. These are the huge hours established on a tower of Sacred Stefana of the Westminster palace where both chambers of the British parliament sit. Our radio listeners hear this Big Ben's chiming clock almost each hour.