Did the Dionne Quintuplets Ring Big Ben from the Golden Gate Bridge??

NOTICED ON THE INTERWEBS-

- Can Art Be ‘Priceless’ in Rocky Times? "What explains the quick return to confidence in the art market? This month, a painting by Picasso, “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust,” became the most expensive painting ever sold at an auction when it exceeded expectations to fetch $106.5 million at Christie’s. In February, a sculpture by Giacometti, “Walking Man I,” sold for $104.3 million at Sotheby’s, setting the previous world record auction price. What accounts for these auction prices? Are investments in trophy art any different from investments made in an office park or a sports team?" Four art professionals offer their viewpoints-

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ALMANAC-

May 28, 1859: "Big Ben" is drawn on a carriage pulled by 16 horses from Whitechapel Bell Foundry to the Palace of Westminster. "Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The original bell was a 16.3-tonne (16 ton) hour bell, cast on 6 August 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees by John Warner & Sons. Unfortunately, it cracked beyond repair while being tested and a replacement had to be made. The bell was recast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as a 13.76-tonne (13½ ton) bell. This was pulled 200 ft up to the Clock Tower’s belfry, a feat that took 18 hours. This new bell first chimed in July 1859. In September it too cracked under the hammer, a mere two months after it officially went into service. According to the foundry's manager, George Mears, Denison had used a hammer more than twice the maximum weight specified. To make the repair, a square piece of metal was chipped out from the rim around the crack, and the bell given an eighth of a turn so the new hammer struck in a different place. Big Ben has chimed with an odd twang ever since and is still in use today complete with the crack. At the time of its casting, Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until "Great Paul", a 17 tonne (16¾ ton) bell currently hung in St. Paul's Cathedral, was cast in 1881."

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May 28, 1930: The Chrysler Building in New York City officially opens. "The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 1,047 ft, it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects."

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May 28, 1934: The Dionne quintuplets are born. They are the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy, and the only female identical set of five ever recorded. The sisters were born just outside Callander, Ontario, Canada near the village of Corbeil. And thus an entire collecting category on Ebay was born...

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May 28, 1937: The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is officially opened to cars by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., who pushes a button signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the span. "The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed during the year 1937, and has become one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and of the United States. In 1999, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects."

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