“Happy Birthday to You” began as a simple melody for kindergarten children, and has become one of the most recognizable English-language songs in the world. It was first published no later than 1912; by 1935 it had become the standard birthday song in the United States. But, where did it come from? In the 1880s, an American schoolteacher named Patty Hill 1868–1946 was the principal of the Louisville Free Kindergarten Association, a progressive and innovative school system in the US city of Louisville, Kentucky. Her younger sister, Mildred Jane Hill 1859–1916, was a musicologist. Together, they created a song that a kindergarten teacher could sing with her young students to begin each school day Good morning to you Good morning to you Good morning, dear children Good morning to all The sisters published their song in 1893. Then, sometime in the 1900s or 1910s, someone changed the lyrics to make the song a birthday wish rather than a morning greeting. Under the title “Happy Birthday to You”, this revised version appeared in Beginners Book of Songs with Instructions, a songbook published in 1912. In addition to its recitations at birthday parties around the world, “Happy Birthday to You” has been performed in countless films, plays, radio and television programs, and advertisements. Its simple melody has been programmed into toys, music boxes, and musical greeting cards. Yet despite its absorption into the cultural commons, “Happy Birthday to You” was not fully cleared of copyright claims until 2017—more than a hundred years after its publication.