US College Finds 19th Century 'Happy Birthday' Manuscript

The only known manuscript of what became the most famous song in the world — the one you can't help but stand awkwardly during if it's being sung to you — Happy Birthday has been found in the library archives of Kentucky's University of Louisville.

Penned by Louisville native Mildred Hill, the manuscript is actually for Good Morning To All, the earliest version of Happy Birthday before it came to be what it is today.

As the university's campus paper reports, the song was penned by Hill and her sister Patty in the early 1890s as part of Song Stories For The Kindergarten. Its lyrics have evolved over the years, but the melody largely remains the same. 

Library director James Procell stumbled upon the manuscript in Hill's sketch book, donated to the Dwight Anderson Memorial Music Library at the university in the 1950s by philanthropist and friend of the Hill sisters, Hattie Bishop Speed. 

Curiously, page one of the manuscript is missing. Procell poses, "The question is, is this the original version of the song, or was Ms. Hill somehow unhappy with the published version and this represents a revision of the song?"

Major label Warner/Chappell are currently in the midst of a high-profile lawsuit, claiming they have valid copyright claims over the well-loved song.

Check out the video of how the song sounded as per the 19th Century manuscript below.