The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia was ordered in 1752 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from the London firm Lester and Pack, later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. It was inscribed with a verse from Leviticus, reading to proclaim liberty throughout the land. It cracked soon after arriving in Philadelphia and was twice recast by local workmen, whose names appear on it. In the 1830s abolitionists adopted it as a symbol and gave it the name Liberty Bell. Its association with the American Revolution only took hold in 1847.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.