#TBT: The very first airing of TV show, “Louisville Uncovered”

“In 1893, two Louisville sisters, Patty and Mildred J. Hill, both schoolteachers, wrote the song “Good Morning to All” for their kindergarten class. The lyrics were later changed to the more recognizable, “Happy Birthday to You“. This is now the most performed song in the English language.

   “Happy Birthday to You“, also known more simply as “Happy Birthday“, is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person’s birth. According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, “Happy Birthday to You” is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow“.
   The song’s base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages.[1], p. 17 The melody of “Happy Birthday to You” comes from the song “Good Morning to All“, which has been attributed to American siblings Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893, Patty was a kindergarten principal in Louisville, Kentucky, developing various teaching methods at what is now the Little Loomhouse;[5] Mildred was a pianist and composer.[1], p. 7 The sisters used “Good Morning to All” as a song that young children would find easy to sing.[1], p. 14
   Years later, in 1893, they published the tune in their songbook Song Stories for the Kindergarten.
   The Hill Sisters’ students enjoyed their teachers’ version of “Good Morning to All” so much that they began spontaneously singing it at birthday parties, changing the lyrics to “Happy Birthday”.[2] The first book including the “Happy birthday” lyric set to the tune of “Good Morning to All” that bears a date of publication is “The Beginners’ Book of Songs,” published by the Cable Company, a piano manufacturer, in 1912.”