Kuvera's video: Threads of History: American flag Britannia and M Ali Jinnah Episode 2

Did you know there is a connection between the American flag, Britannia, among India's leading biscuit companies, and the founding father of Pakistan? Every 4th of July, Americans gather at the National Museum of American History to honour the Star-Spangled Banner, a faded flag from 1814 that inspired their national anthem during the War of 1812. On a September night in 1814, a Maryland lawyer Francis Scott Key was on a British ship H.M.S. Minden to negotiate for the release of American prisoners, including Dr. William Beanes. After much discussion, Key got permission to leave with the freed Americans. However, the British had planned an attack on Fort McHenry. And to prevent information leak, they detained Key & Beanes, as the men were aware of the attack that night. Key witnessed the massive rocket attack from H.M.S. Minden. And the next morning, he could still see the flag on the Fort flying, despite the bombardment. Overjoyed and inspired, he wrote a poem to celebrate the US resilience while still aboard. This poem was later published as Defence of Fort M’Henry. About a century later, the first verse of this poem was officially adopted as the US national anthem - “The Star-Spangled Banner". After the war, the flag was preserved by the family of Fort McHenry's commander and it inevitably became a cherished artefact of America's war of independence. Now remember the ship that Francis Scott Key was on - H.M.S. Minden? It has an Indian connection! The ship was built in India - at the Wadia Shipyard in Bombay. Why? Because the British valued the fine craftsmanship of the Wadia shipbuilders. And the superior quality of Indian teak, known for its resistance to marine worms, over European oak. Established in 1736, the Wadia Shipyard built several legendary ships, like the H.M.S. Minden, its first outsourced project. Jamsetjee Wadia was named Master Builder, and the Minden served for 51 years.In short, the venue for the inspiration behind the American national anthem, was built by Indian hands in India. But wait, there's more. In 1892, with ₹295, some businessmen started a small biscuit operation in Kolkata, later run by the Gupta brothers as V.S. Brothers. By 1918, C.H. Holmes joined them to establish The Britannia Biscuit Company Limited. During World War II, Britannia supplied biscuits to the British Army, dedicating up to 95% of its production capacity to meet the demand. The company's name changed to Britannia Industries Limited in the late 70s. In 1993, Nusli Wadia took control of Britannia from the then biscuit-king Rajan Pillai. Figured it out yet? Yes, Nusli came from the same illustrious Parsi Wadia family of Mumbai - the famous shipbuilders. And what about the Jinnah connection? Nusli is the son of businessman Neville Wadia & Dina Wadia (nee Jinnah). Dina Wadia was the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, and Rattanbai Petit. Isn't it amazing how history connects in unexpected ways? Stay updated with super cool videos on investing. Subscribe to Kuvera Channel https://bit.ly/3bawMXK Follow the conversations across Kuvera.in on Twitter : https://twitter.com/Kuvera_In Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/kuvera.in/ LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/kuvera-in/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Kuvera Thread: https://www.threads.net/@kuvera.in Start your investing journey with Kuvera: https://kuvera.onelink.me/t2AP/c4syh6uy