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London's Big Ben celebrates the 150th anniversary of its first chiming on Saturday.
The Great Bell, housed in Saint Stephen's Tower which adjoins the House of Commons, first struck the hour on July 11, 1859, and has been interrupted only occasionally for maintenance and bad weather ever since.
To mark the anniversary, the message "Happy Birthday Big Ben, 150 years, 1859 - 2009" will be projected on the tower.
These days, the name Big Ben is frequently used to describe the tower, one of the capital's most photographed sites, but the nickname was first given to the bell alone.
The origin of the name is thought to come from Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, whose name is inscribed on the bell.
Mike McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock, said: "After 150 years, Big Ben still holds a special place in the hearts of Londoners and the world as a magnificent example of engineering and building genius."
The 96-metre (315-foot) high tower which houses the clock was built as part of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament by architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin following a major fire in 1843.
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(Agencies)
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伦敦大本钟于上周六迎来了它首次报时以来的第150个生日。
大本钟坐落在英国国会下议院所在地附近的圣斯蒂芬钟楼上。自1859年7月11日首次报时以来，大本钟仅在维修或天气恶劣时才偶尔暂停运转。
为了纪念大本钟的生日，“大本钟150岁生日快乐！1859年－2009年”的字样将通过投影显示在钟楼上。
如今，大本钟这个名字常用来指整个钟楼，这里也是伦敦曝光率最高的景点之一，其实最初这个昵称只是给钟本身起的名字。
据称，大本钟这个名字是由英国前任劳工和建筑首席专员本杰明•霍尔爵士起的，他的名字就刻在大本钟上。
守钟人迈克•麦卡恩说：“大本钟已经150岁了，但它作为机械和建筑杰作的典范，仍然在伦敦和世界人民心中占据着特殊的地位。”
在1843年的一场大火之后，作为重建英国国会大厦的一部分，建筑师查理斯•巴雷和奥古斯塔斯•帕金共同设计了这座96米（合315英尺）高的钟楼，而大本钟就在钟楼之上。
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（英语点津 许雅宁编辑）
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