Big Ben Begins: London's Great Clock Starts Ticking
On May 31, 1859, the great tower clock of the Palace of Westminster began ticking for the first time — the voice of Big Ben was born.
Tales from the year 1859
Crazy Drake's Gamble: The Well That Started the Oil Age
On August 27, 1859, Edwin Drake's drill struck oil at 69.5 feet near Titusville, Pennsylvania — the first well deliberately drilled for petroleum, and the spark of the modern oil industry.