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Liberty Bell, historic bell in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, rung on July 8, 1776, after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell weighs 943.5 kg (2080 lb) and is 3.7 m (12 ft) in circumference at the lip. The bell bears the following inscription: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof."
The bell was ordered in 1751 and was cast in London. It arrived in Philadelphia in August 1752 and was cracked while being tested. It was melted down, and a second bell was cast in April 1753, but this one was also defective. A third was cast in June of that year, by the firm of Pass and Stowe in Philadelphia. On June 7, 1753, the third bell was hung in the tower of Independence Hall.
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