Abstract: With recent renewed interest in the Higgs mechanism after the announced discovery of the Higgs particle by experimental groups at the LHC, it is instructive to remind oneself of its manifestations in Condensed Matter Physics phenomena. We give a pedagogic overview of the topic of spontaneous symmetry breaking and the role of gauge symmetries. We also try to assess the role that P.W. Anderson had played in the formulation of the mechanism from a historical perspective. Finally, we put things into perspective of the electroweak gauge symmetry breaking.