Today in the history of the American comic strip: January 8

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. 

1.8.1880: William Addison Ireland is born in Chillicothe, Ohio. A cartoonist for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, he is the namesake of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at The Ohio State University, which describes itself as the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting printed cartoon art.

1.8.1936: King Features Syndicate premieres Laff-a-Day, a daily gag cartoon that was drawn by more than a dozen cartoonists during the comic’s run, which ended in 1998. 

 

1.8.1989: The Los Angeles Times Syndicate revives Pogo, which had been discontinued in 1975. The resurrected strip only survived until 1993.

1.8.2012: The pantomime strip Ferd'nand, created by Danish-born cartoonist Henning Dahl Mikkelsen, ends its run after more than seven decades in print.

Ferd'nand

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.