Born on this day, composer and lyricist Cole Porter (1893–1964) was raised on a 700-acre farm in Peru, Indiana and learned piano and violin at age six.

The remarkable musician published his first song at 11 and went on to create songs for Broadway and Hollywood that became timeless standards—music filled with elegance, sophistication, and clever wit. His smash musicals include Anything Goes (1934) and Kiss Me, Kate (1948).

A man of charm, culture, and wealth, Porter was physically small and slender with slicked-back hair and a baby face. He wrote Night and Day for his friend Fred Astaire.

I Love Paris and C'est Magnifique captured Porter's heartfelt love for the City of Lights, where he thrived during the 1920s. His piece Begin the Beguine made you want to glide across a ballroom floor beneath a night of tropical splendor.

His songs became standards for icons like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett. In At Long Last Love, Porter asked: “Is it the whiskey, this feeling of joy / Or is it at long last love?”

Don't Fence Me In, a cheeky classic, became a cowboy favorite: “Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above, don't fence me in.” Bing Crosby’s version sold over a million copies and topped charts for eight weeks in 1944–1945.

Crippled in a 1938 horse-riding accident, Porter never stopped writing. His spirit remained undaunted, his creativity undimmed. With passion, he continued to craft harmonies and lyrics—each note and phrase a testament to the joy, pain, and enthusiasm alive in his heart.