Big Ben is the London landmark's clock commonly associated with the midnight New Year's Eve countdown in the United Kingdom.
Strictly speaking, Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside the Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster. In everyday speech, however, “Big Ben” is often used for the entire clock tower or its clock. The tower's chimes are broadcast during major national occasions, including New Year's celebrations.
The Elizabeth Tower was completed in the nineteenth century as part of Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin's design for the rebuilt Palace of Westminster. The Great Bell first struck in 1859. Its familiar quarter-hour chimes and hour strikes have made the tower one of London's most recognizable soundmarks.
The London Eye is also central to the city's modern New Year's Eve fireworks, which causes occasional confusion. The Eye is the giant observation wheel beside the River Thames; it is not the clock whose chimes are identified with Big Ben.