Can you name the most frequently sung English language song? Chances are you sing it several times a year…and once a year it’s probably sung to you!
It’s the “Happy Birthday to You” song. This song was written in the late 1800’s by of two sisters in Louisville, Kentucky, Mildred and Patty Hill (it was actually copyrighted and only entered the public domain in 2016). If this was their only contribution to American life, it wouldn’t be much more than a fun fact.
But the Hill Sisters created much more than a song.
They were education entrepreneurs who took a new idea from Germany and made it a mainstream offering for children’s early education: Kindergarten. A recent Smithsonian article shares that “Happy Birthday” may be the Hill sisters’ main claim to fame, but their impact on American history extends far beyond the beloved song. Patty (Hill) is the reason people now attend kindergarten.”
So, the next time you sing “Happy Birthday,” remember that two nearly forgotten sisters in Louisville had an enduring impact on your early life and that of your children. Take a few minutes for the story of The Forgotten Sisters Behind ‘Happy Birthday to You’.
