Today in the history of the American comic strip: January 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.

1.19.1982: Charles Plumb, co-creator of Ella Cinders, dies. Initially, the strip presented the title character as an early 20th-century Cinderella, but it later diverged into other plot lines.

1.19.2010: The Library of American Comics releases Bringing Up Father, Volume 1, the first of two reprints of George McManus’ legendary strip.

Ella Cinders

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.