James Lord Pierpont composed "Jingle Bells" and copyrighted it on September 16, 1857, under the original title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" [1][2]. The song was not originally intended as a Christmas carol but rather as a drinking song or for minstrel performances, and only became a holiday staple decades later when it was republished in 1859 with its now-famous title [2]. The exact location of composition remains debated among historians. A plaque in Medford, Massachusetts claims Pierpont wrote it there in 1850, inspired by the town's sleigh races, while other historians suggest he composed it in Savannah, Georgia, shortly before publication [2]. Pierpont was an American songwriter and organist born in Boston who later lived in Savannah [2]. Note: "Jingle Bell Rock," a different song entirely, was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe [3].