At the approach of the third millenium, The World Peace Bell, the largest free-swinging bell in the world, was installed in 1999 at the Millennium Monument in Newport, Kentucky. This commemorative bell ceremonially opened January 1, 2000 (00:00:00 EST) with its first swing. It is a secular bell not associated with any single group, but all mankind collectively. As such, its founding was a collaborative, international civic operation (executed under the auspices of organizations in the United States and France). Cast by the Paccard Foundry, the 33-metric-ton bell features an inscription invoking the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and engravings marking important events from the past thousand years.