No living person has ever heard the Liberty Bell ring. But, on July 4, 2005 at the annual Let Freedom Ring ceremony outside the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, America heard the first ringing of the Normandy Bell, cast as an exact replica of the Liberty Bell.
The Normandy Bell is a gift from the French to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. The Normandy Bell’s peal was in poignant contrast to the silent tapping of the Liberty Bell by four children descended from signers of the Declaration of Independence.
The bell tapping at 2 p.m. set off a patriotic chorus of bell ringing across the country. Let Freedom Ring is the only Congressionally mandated Independence Day commemoration.
The Normandy Bell is the only bell in the world that sounds like the Liberty Bell, which last rang on February 23, 1846, for George Washington’s birthday.
The bell then will be on exhibit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia through September. Visitors will have the honor of ringing the Bell on a daily basis at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.