Big Ben is the famous clock tower bell associated with London's New Year's Eve countdown.
At midnight, broadcasters often transmit the deep chimes of the Great Bell of the clock at the Palace of Westminster. The sound has become a familiar marker of the start of the new year in the United Kingdom and is heard by viewers around the world.
Strictly speaking, Big Ben is the nickname of the hour bell, not the tower itself. The tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The clock tower was previously called the Clock Tower.
The bell was cast in 1858, and the clock began operating in 1859. The tower's illuminated clock faces and the bell's quarter-hour chimes are separate parts of the same landmark, a distinction often blurred in casual conversation.