The Great State O' Maine celebrates 200 years of statehood!

In July 1819, Maine voters opted to separate from Massachusetts, and a constitutional convention was held in October of that year. The proposed constitution won voter approval the following January, and Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820. In honor of the Pine Tree State’s 200th anniversary of statehood, I’m posting Maine-related photos and images.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Today in the history of the American comic strip: November 20

American cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation. Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the development of this underappreciated art form.

11.20.1891: Jimmy Murphy, creator of Toots and Casper, is born in Chicago, Illinois. The domestic strip, which was unveiled in 1918, ran until 1956.

11.20.1900: Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould is born in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Gould's now-legendary detective began making his rounds in 1931, and remains on duty.

11.20.1944: Martha Links debuts Bobby Sox, a teen strip whose name was later changed to Emmy Lou. It ran until 1979.

11.20.1995: Stone Soup, by Jan Eliot, debuts as a syndicated strip. The comic ceased daily production in 2015, but the Sunday feature was still running in 2018.

Stone Soup

Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

"Morning in the Bowl of Night," 1973, Alma Thomas

Movie Posters, 1921: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn

Editorial cartoonists: keeping the legacy of Thomas Nast alive

Tom Toles

Journalist H.L. Mencken and the presidency of Donald J. Trump

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

 July 26, 1920
H. L. Mencken, Baltimore Evening Sun
 ~ ~ ~
November 20, 2019
 Another great and glorious day with a downright moron adorning the White House. 

The Great State O' Maine celebrates 200 years of statehood!

In July 1819, Maine voters opted to separate from Massachusetts, and a constitutional convention was held in October of that year. The proposed constitution won voter approval the following January, and Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820. In honor of the Pine Tree State’s 200th anniversary of statehood, I’m posting Maine-related photos and images.

Today in the history of the American comic strip: November 19

American cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation. Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the development of this underappreciated art form.

11.19.1951: Ben Katchor is born in New York City. He’s best known for his acclaimed cartoon Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, which embodies Katchor’s love of the fading small-business community in New York City. The strip debuted in 1988.

11.19.1961: The Little Red-Haired Girl is first mentioned in Charles Schulz's Peanuts. She never actually appeared in the strip, but she was seen in various TV specials.

11.19.1970: Mark Slackmeyer, onetime college radical turned radio personality, appears in Doonesbury for the first time.

Doonesbury

Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.