History Today: When India adopted Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem

January 24 is an important day in history as several exceptional events took place on this day across the world.

In our ongoing series History Today , we deep dive to relive the past and the biggest stories that took place today.

Firstly, India adopted Jana Gana Mana as its national anthem in 1950. In 1984, Apple launched its flagship Macintosh personal computer. On this day in 1935, the first canned beer went on sale in the United States.

Let us take a closer look at what has happened on this day over the years.

Jana Gana Mana adopted as the national anthem

In 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem. The song was written by Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore in 1911.

The original poem was written in Bengali titled Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata, which translates to “Dispenser of India’s destiny.” The song lays stress on the spirit of pluralism or the idea of “Unity in Diversity,” which is at the heart of India’s cultural legacy.

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The parent song was a five-verse Brahmo hymn, but only the first stanza had been designated as the national anthem. Tagore himself composed the poem’s melody, according to the Indian Institute for Information Technology (IIT) Nagpur.

Interestingly, the duration of Jana Gana Mana, when performed in the required metre, is 52 seconds and 20 seconds for a shorter version.

Apple launches Macintosh computer

Apple launched its flagship computer - the Macintosh. Popularly known as ‘Mac’ these were launched as a personal computer that could be used by everyone and not just computer ‘geeks’.

Prior to the official launch, Apple debuted a now-famous advertisement called “1984” during the Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. Directed by Ridley Scott, the ad positioned the Macintosh as a revolutionary device that would challenge the conformity of IBM’s dominance in the personal computer market.

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The commercial featured a dystopian theme inspired by George Orwell’s novel 1984 and left a lasting impact, becoming one of the most celebrated advertisements in history.

Apple unveiled the Macintosh at a shareholders’ meeting held at Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California. With its release, the Macintosh redefined what personal computers could be, paving the way for user-friendly devices.

First canned beer was sold in the US

On January 24, 1935, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company, in partnership with the American Can Company, introduced canned beer to the public. They distributed 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale to consumers in Richmond, Virginia.

By the late 19th century, cans played a crucial role in the mass distribution of food, but it wasn’t until 1909 that the American Can Company made its first attempt to can beer, stated History.com. This effort was unsuccessful and the company had to wait until the end of Prohibition in the United States before making another attempt. In 1933, after two years of research, American Can developed a pressurised can with a special coating to prevent the fizzy beer from chemically reacting with the tin.

The canning of beer marked a major shift in the beverage industry, offering a more convenient and portable alternative to glass bottles. By the end of that year, 37 breweries had adopted canned beer, revolutionising the packaging and consumption of beer.

The success of canned beer laid the foundation for its widespread use, eventually leading to the creation of the modern beer can. Today, canned beer represents approximately 60 per cent of the $45 billion US beer industry.

This Day, That Year

• In 1989, American serial killer Ted Bundy was executed at the age of 42.

• The first Boy Scout troop was organised by Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell in England in 1908.

• Carpenter James Wilson Marshall found nuggets of gold in California’s American River near the site of a sawmill he was building, ushering in a gold rush.

With inputs from agencies