The Liberty Bell's Famous Crack Is Actually a Repair

The most famous crack in America is not quite what it seems. According to the U.S. National Park Service, no one recorded when or why the Liberty Bell first cracked. The most likely explanation is that a narrow split developed in the early 1840s after nearly 90 years of hard use. In 1846 the city decided to repair the bell before the holiday for George Washington’s birthday. Metal workers widened the thin crack to prevent it spreading farther and to restore the bell’s tone, using a technique called stop drilling. In the Park Service’s words, the wide crack in the Liberty Bell is actually the repair job, and over 40 drill bit marks can still be seen in it. A second crack then appeared, and that one silenced the bell forever.