Who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb"?

looney_tunes

"The nursery rhyme was first published (as opposed to written) as an original poem by Sarah Josepha Hale on May 24, 1830, and was inspired by an actual incident. ... There are two competing theories on the origin of this poem. One holds that Roulstone wrote the first four lines and that the final twelve lines, more moralistic and much less childlike than the first, were composed by Sarah Josepha Hale; the other is that Hale was responsible for the entire poem. Another person who claims to have written the poem and well known nursery rhyme is Mary Hughs but it has been confirmed that Sarah Hale wrote it." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Had_a_Little_Lamb Apr 06 10, 6:27 AM