Which word appears to be misspelled on the Liberty Bell?
If you look closely at the Liberty Bell, you'll notice a fascinating
historical quirk etched into the bell's surface. The inscription on the
bell spells "Pennsylvania" with just one "n." It's not really a typo,
however. In the mid-18th century, when the bell was cast in Whitechapel
Bell Foundry in London, variations in English spelling were common, and
"Pensylvania" was considered an acceptable alternative spelling for
"Pennsylvania." The same spelling was also used by Alexander Hamilton on
the signature page of the Constitution of the United States
That is a cool bit of trivia. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Here in Oz we still (mostly) use English spelling.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't surprise me, as spelling wasn't standardized in English until Samuel Johnson published his first dictionary in Britain in 1755 and Noah Webster in the US in 1806. Even after these came out, it was an uphill battle.
ReplyDeleteit isn't part of our history, so I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting....thanks. :)
ReplyDelete