Last year I published a post about the origin of birthday candles on my sister’s birthday. Today another family birthday has prompted me to share five new-to-me facts about birthday celebrations in history.
- The first mention of a birthday in Western culture is in the biblical book of Genesis.
2. In Ancient Rome only men celebrated birthdays.
3. The city of Alexandria was built to align with the sun on Alexander the Great’s birthday.
4. The earliest known birthday invitations were sent out by the wife of a Roman commander around 100 AD.
5. “Happy Birthday to You” started out as “Good Morning to All” by Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893 — though the tune may be older. (I just learned that the song was under copyright until a 2016 lawsuit ended with the declaration that it is in the public domain.)
Sources
- “11 Super Surprising Facts About Birthdays From Throughout History” by Kate Taylor
- “Happy Birthday to You” via Wikipedia
- “The Origin of American Birthday Traditions”
- “This Is Why You Get To Celebrate Your Birthday Every Year” by Todd Van Luling via The Huffington Post
- “When Did People Start Celebrating Birthdays?” by Jon Guttman via HistoryNet
These facts are all new to me, too!