What is the name of the famous bell in Philadelphia that cracked?

The famous cracked bell in Philadelphia is the Liberty Bell. It was commissioned in 1751 by Pennsylvania’s colonial assembly and cast in London by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Its inscription comes from the biblical Book of Leviticus: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.”

The bell cracked during testing soon after arriving in Philadelphia and was recast twice by local founders John Pass and John Stow. The large crack visible today developed much later, probably in the early 1840s after decades of use. A repair attempt in 1846 widened the split, and the bell has not been rung since.

A common misconception is that it rang out on July 4, 1776, to announce the Declaration of Independence. It may have been rung when the Declaration was publicly read on July 8, but no contemporary record confirms that event. The name “Liberty Bell” became popular in the 1830s, especially among abolitionists.