The melody of “Happy Birthday to You” comes from the song “Good Morning to All”, which was written and composed by American siblings Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893. Patty was a kindergarten principal in Kentucky, developing various teaching methods. Mildred was a pianist and composer. The sisters created “Good Morning to All” as a song that would be easy to be sung by young children. The melody became the ideal tune for changing the lyrics to fit birthday greetings. The combination of melody and lyrics in “Happy Birthday to You” first appeared in print in 1912, and probably existed even earlier.
According to the 1998 Guinness 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.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You
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