Libsyn Directory

Big Ben: The Story Behind the Bell

Release Date: 04/10/2017

Trivia People

Let’s start with salad, specifically salad dressing, even more specifically salad dressing names. We’ll start with the king of salad dressings in the United States: ranch. Ranch dressing was first created in 1954 by Steve Henson, who owned a dude ranch called Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, California. His customers liked the dressing so much that Henson started selling packets of dried mix so they could have it at home. Bottled, prepared ranch dressing was introduced in 1983. Thousand Island dressing’s origin story is not as clear, although it’s name refers to the Thousand...

570: WInter Olympics

Trivia People

Today is the 14th day of competition at the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Here are a few things you might not have known about these Olympics and the Olympic Winter Games in general. Ninety-two nations are competing in 102 events in 15 sports during the 19-day competition. The host South Koreans marched with their counterparts from North Korea under a unified Korean flag during the opening ceremony. The two countries combined to field a unified women’s ice hockey team, but otherwise participated separately. This is the third time the Winter Olympics have been held...

569: Disneyland

Trivia People

I hope you’re asking yourself, where has this guy been for the past eight months? Well, my wife and I moved from Yakima, Washington, to Los Angeles in a so-far successful attempt to avoid winter. Also, I’ve recently started a new job, because unlike other podcasters, we’re not rolling in Blue Apron or SquareSpace money yet. So, inspired by my new-ish surroundings, here are five things you may not have known about Disneyland: Walt Disney originally wanted to build an amusement park next to his studios in Burbank, California, north of downtown Los Angeles. However, the proposed site...

Taking a Break -- We Shall Return!

Trivia People

To my listeners: I hope you've noticed there has been a lack of "Trivia Minute" podcasts lately. I have quite a few exciting and positive things going on in my life right now, so I've had to put the podcast on the back burner until things settle down (likely sometime this autumn). My promise: The show will return, so please stay subscribed using whichever podcast service you use. Keep an eye on this space for updates. Thank you for listening! -- Marcus P.S.: All 550-plus episodes will also remain available on

567: Trivia Minute Update: May 5, 2017

Trivia People

We’ll start off with a question: What nation did Mexican forces defeat in the Battle of Puebla, which is marked by Cinco de Mayo celebrations? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is Cinco de Mayo, which is celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico. It’s also Children’s Day in Japan and South Korea and Constitution Day in Kyrgyzstan. It’s unofficially International Midwives’ Day, Cartoonists Day, and International Tuba Day. It’s the birthday of chef James Beard, who was born in 1903; actor Michael Palin, who is 74, and singer Adele, who is 29. Now,...

Trivia Minute Update: May 4, 2017

Trivia People

We’ll start off with a question: What was the only crime gangster Al Capone was ever convicted of? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is International Firefighters Day, Youth Day in Fiji, and Restoration of Independence Day in Latvia. It’s unofficially Star Wars Day, National Day of Prayer and National Orange Juice Day. It’s the birthday of actress Audrey Hepburn, who was born in 1929; actor Will Arnett, who is 47; and golfer Rory McIlroy, who is 28. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1961, the top song in the U.S. was “Runaway” by Del...

Trivia Minute Update: May 3, 2017

Trivia People

We’ll start off with a question: Who was the owner of the Dodgers when they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is World Press Freedom Day, Constitution Day in Poland, and Constitution Memorial Day in Japan. It’s Public Radio Day, Wordsmith Day, and National Raspberry Popover Day. It’s the birthday of singer and actor Bing Crosby, who was born in 1903; musician James Brown, who was born in 1933; and magician Doug Henning, who was born in 1947. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1981, the top song in the U.S....

Trivia Minute Update: May 2, 2017

Trivia People

We’ll start off with a question: The maiden flight of the De Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner, traveled between which two cities? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is Flag Day in Poland, National Education Day in Indonesia, and Teachers’ Day in Iran. It’s unofficially National Play Your Ukulele Day, International Scurvy Awareness Day and World Asthma Day. It’s the birthday of Catherine the Great, who was born in 1729; singer Engelbert Humperdinck, who is 81; and soccer star David Beckham, who is 42. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week...

Trivia Minute Update: May 1, 2017

Trivia People

Our T-shirt giveaway came to an end on Sunday. We only had one entry from Doug Barbeau, who wins a Trivia Minute T-Shirt. Thanks, Doug. We’ll start off with a question: Which two of the contiguous 48 states are not served by Amtrak rail service? Today is Constitution Day in Argentina, Latvia and the Marshall Islands. It’s International Workers’ Day, and it’s May Day. It’s unofficially Frequent Flyer Day, National Chocolate Parfait Day, and School Principals’ Day. It’s the birthday of author Joseph Heller, who was born in 1923; musician Judy Collins, who is 78; and film director...

Trivia Minute Update: April 28, 2017

Trivia People

Today's trivia question: Who was the captain of the HMS Bounty? Today is International Workplace Safety Day, National Heroes Day in Barbados, and National Day of Mourning in Canada. It’s unofficially National Cubicle Day, National Superhero Day, and National Blueberry Pie Day. It’s the birthday of author Harper Lee, who was born in 1926; Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who is 57; and actress Penelope Cruz, who is 43. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1986, the top song in the U.S. was “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer. The No. 1 movie was...

More Episodes

On this date in 1858, the bell known as Big Ben was cast in London.

Here are some things you may not have known about Big Ben.

The nickname Big Ben refers to the bell only. The clock is called the Great Clock, while the tower is named Elizabeth Tower.

The namesake of the bell is disputed. It may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of the installation of the bell, or it might have been named after the English heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt.

The bell weighs 13 1/2 tons. It’s 7 feet, 6 inches tall and 9 feet in diameter.

It’s not the original bell intended for the clock tower. The first bell, which was slightly heavier than its successor, cracked during testing before it was installed. The replacement bell cracked in September 1859, as the hammer used to strike it was heavier than the bell was designed for. For three years, the bell was out of commission, and the hours were signaled using the lowest of the accompanying quarter bells.

The quarter bells, as their name would indicate are sounded at the quarter-hour. There are four of them, which play G-sharp, F-sharp, E, and B. The chime melody they play is known as the Westminster Quarters, and is widely played by clocks around the world. The melody, while made famous at Westminster, originated at the church of St. Mary the Great in Cambridge.

The tower leans about 9 inches to the northwest because of settling and construction of underground train lines beneath it. The clock is 23 feet in diameter and the face contains 312 pieces of opal glass. The clock uses a double three-legged gravity escapement, which helps maintain the clock’s famous accuracy. Part of this is a small stack of old pennies which sit atop the pendulum. The coins move the pendulum’s center of mass slightly higher, which increases the rate at which the clock runs. Each penny changes the speed by 0.4 seconds per day. In August 2015, it was discovered that the clock was running 7 seconds fast, so a few of the pennies were removed to correct the error.

In 2012, the tower, which never had a name, was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee.

Our question: How many years as monarch does a Diamond Jubilee celebrate ?

Today is International Siblings Day.

It’s also Safety Pin Day, National Farm Animals Day, and Golfer’s Day.

It’s the birthday of actor Omar Sharif, who was born in 1932; football coach and announcer John Madden, who is 81; and actor Steven Seagal, who is 65. It’s also my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mom.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1984, the top song in the U.S. was “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins.

The No. 1 movie was “Police Academy,” while the novel “The Aquitaine Progression” by Robert Ludlum topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: What is the nickname of the bell that surpassed Big Ben as the largest bell in Great Britain?

Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll have the correct answer on Friday’s episode.

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