This song was originally composed by Gloria Shayne Baker and the lyrics were written by Noel Regney in October of 1962 during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. A producer (do not know his name) had made a request to Regney to write a Christmas song, but events as they unfolded during the Cuban Missile Crisis likely provided the inspiration for Regney to write lyrics pleading for peace as the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States escalated towards nuclear warfare. The lyrics themselves were written down hastily after Regney noticed two babies in a stroller looking at each other and smiling. He brought home the lyrics to his then wife Baker, and he asked that she write the music for the lyrics. The finished version of the song was released shortly after Thanksgiving in 1962. The very first recording of this song was from the Harry Simeone Chorale but it did not go noticed by a wider audience. It wasn't until October of 1963 that the song caught became a hit after Bing Crosby released his version in October of 1963. Since then, there have been numerous artists who have either performed or recorded their own version although arguably it is Crosby's version that is most widely recognized.