# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785 "2024-07-25T15:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 205
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4081 "2026-02-08T22:57:20Z")
Do they all know each other? Because otherwise that is unexpected. Cool fact, though. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4082 "2026-02-09T12:12:45Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I have, over the last couple of years, got to have quite a few people who are or were involved in bell ringing I hope you meant “got to know” ! I used to ring church bells. We had a tower captain. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4083 "2026-02-09T15:44:50Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Do they all know each other? Because otherwise that is unexpected. Yeah they do, but that’s not how we met them. I apologize for the complexity of what follows, not helped by anonymization. All of this relates to one specific church. J&L we’ve known for ages through cricket, but we only recently found out that one of their sons had been a bell ringer (and he knew D) J&N are friends of J&L - they were involved in bell ringing (and are the parents of D) M&M are my allotment neighbors. One M was a bell ringer (and so knew D) and the other is the church musical director and organist. Our pals C&E’s wedding photographer was D. So we knew or had met all these people apart from D (who was, of course, a bell ringer, and who we _knew of_ through everybody - very strange. He seemed oddly central to my life for somebody I had never met.) You’ll be pleased to know we have since met him on numerous occasions, and he’s very nice. j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4084 "2026-02-09T15:46:21Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I hope you meant “got to know” ! Sigh. That’s what happens when I post on my phone. And - see? I keep meeting bell ringers! 😉 j ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4085 "2026-02-09T16:10:24Z")
Do British bell ringers still do physical work when ringing the bells, like pulling a rope? Because here in Germany, almost all church bells have been automated for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4086 "2026-02-09T16:12:12Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Do British bell ringers still do the physical work of ringing the bells, like pulling a rope? Yes ! Apparently there are some automated rings, but I don’t know of any. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4087 "2026-02-09T16:15:10Z")
That’s interesting. I guess there may be some small chapels here where the bells are still rung manually, but all major churches are automated. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4088 "2026-02-09T16:23:43Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I guess there may be some small chapels here where the bells are still rung manually, but all major churches are automated. Robots are taking over all the best jobs! ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4089 "2026-02-09T16:27:08Z")
The church in question is ancient - bits of it are over a thousand years old, and there are records of bell ringing there going back way over 300 years. For all I know it might not be possible to automate something that old. I suspect many British churches where the bells are rung manually are also very old. j ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4090 "2026-02-09T16:32:00Z")
Well, we have churches that old as well, but I still think the ones that are still actively used for services have automated bells, too. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4091 "2026-02-09T16:35:23Z")
Does automation swing the bells and thus use the clapper, or are they just struck with a hammer of some sort? j ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4092 "2026-02-09T16:39:31Z")
I can’t answer this definitely, maybe both methods are used, but I saw bells (on TV) with clappers moved by electrical motors, controlled for rhythm and time by a computerized PLC. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4093 "2026-02-09T16:47:10Z")
Interesting. I wonder if there’s something about ringing a bell by pulling on a rope to physically swing the bell, which produces a different set of sounds. (Any insights, @pjd ?) That could be an important factor for those campanologically inclined. (Interesting fact: campanological is a word (thank you, Merriam-Webster); so I guess campanologically must be also.) j ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4094 "2026-02-09T17:11:44Z")
The tower where I did most of my ringing had a bit of both.. Normal bellringing with ropes works by swinging the bell which then hits the clapper which is suspended inside the bell. There was also a second set of (thinner) ropes in a cupboard within the ringing chamber (where the ringers stand) which could be used to operate hammers (like a simple carillon); I don’t remember, but i suspect these hammers were the same ones used by the clock chimes. (otherwise it would get very complicated up there !) … it was _**very important**_ to disengage these before ringing, or they’d be ruined ! I don’t actually remember there being much difference in the sound produced by these methods - except for when the clappers were muffled (eg for funerals.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4095 "2026-02-09T17:47:55Z")
Someone in Birmingham, England once told me that their father was the bell ringing tower captain who was one of ten tower captains who came to Washington D.C. in 1963 to assist in the dedication of the bell in the National Cathedral. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4096 "2026-02-09T19:59:57Z")
Might there be a difference between English change-ringing and whatever they do in Germany that makes automation more or less likely? I suppose a computer could handle programming changes just as well as human memory, but I guess campanologists are too proud of their skills to give in to machinery. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4097 "2026-02-09T21:08:52Z")
Computers can be programmed to play the piano, but that doesn’t mean that humans no longer play pianos. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4098 "2026-02-09T22:13:38Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I don’t actually remember there being much difference in the sound produced by these methods The difference should not be in the sound but in the rhythm: when you swing the whole bell the clapper hits like a **[double pendulum,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_pendulum)** i.e., it gets a chaotic element. If the bell stays put and you only swing the clapper you control the frequency of the sound much more precisely. Yes, I agree it is not a classical double pendulum, but I hope what I mean is still clear. It is not a chaotic ringing of the bell, it is a complicated, quasi-chaotic time lag in the way the clapper hits the bell when both rotate with a different frequency. The mechanisms for ringing a bell (Hello, Chuck Berry! Say hello to **[Johnny B. Goode](https://youtu.be/Y-9Y4CCIWnM?list=RDY-9Y4CCIWnM&t=26)**!) are swinging (the oscillating movement of the bell, which causes the clapper to move at the same rhythm, striking the instrument and producing a binary sound, but with an irregular time lag), turning (the complete rotation of the bell, with a yoke with counterweights that produces a tertiary sound) and manual ringing (in which the bell is fixed and rung manually by moving the clapper with a rope). As I see it, only in the last case you have precise control over the moment the clapper hits the bell and thus the rhythm. If you want the bells to rotate full circle you have to swing them higer and higher with each pull of the rope until they do rotate and hit the clapper. Hm. I am not making myself clear, am I? Playing a guitar ain’t easy either. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4099 "2026-02-09T22:17:54Z")
Also, the sound does not propagate from a bell equally in all directions. By changing the orientation of the bell itself, you’re spreading out the sound more (at least, on average): At any given moment, some directions are getting more sound than others, but the directions that are getting more sound are constantly changing. Of course, nowadays, a lot of automated systems don’t even involve actual bells at all, just big loudspeakers that play a recording of bells. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4100 "2026-02-09T23:02:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Of course, nowadays, a lot of automated systems don’t even involve actual bells at all, just big loudspeakers that play a recording of bells. I suspect that is the most common solution to a traditional bell developing a crack. Loudspeakers are cheaper than bells. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=204) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=206)