On the benefits of church bell ringing

Not long ago, an article appeared in the old Russian newspaper Izvestia about the benefits of church bell ringing. The author claimed, in particular, that according to some studies conducted in “scientific research institutes” (one wonders—which institutes exactly?), the sound of church bells kills viruses responsible for influenza, hepatitis, and typhoid…
I don't know whether that’s true or not—I never worked in those institutes and conducted no such studies. In any case, the article sparked a flurry of chuckles and cynical comments online. E.g., one quip noted that, according to popular belief, church bell ringers never suffered from sexually transmitted diseases. I can’t confirm that either, but I can tell a little story that definitely proves the usefulness of bell ringing.

So…

This happened sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Back in those distant days, in the capital of occupied Estonia—Tallinn—the Soviet KGB installed directional antennas on the bell tower of Oleviste Church. (This tower was not only the highest point in Tallinn but, incidentally, the tallest building in the world at the beginning of the 16th century.) These antennas allowed them to listen in on and record—on magnetic tape—all kinds of kitchen and non-kitchen conversations taking place in the homes and apartments of the good citizens of the Old Town.

And what could poor Estonians do about it? Well… not much. Almost nothing.
So they did almost nothing. Except that one dark night, someone struck the Oleviste bell just once. And with that single strike and the accompanying sound wave, all those antennas were destroyed—and the painstakingly assembled surveillance system was completely wrecked…
This tale is well known to old Tallinn residents. I simply wrote it down from what they told me.

Victoria, 2025