Today in the history of the American comic strip: February 4

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.

2.4.1946: The McClure Newspaper Syndicate launches Archie, a comic strip based on comic books featuring the same characters. It ran until 2011, after which old strips were reprinted.
 

2.4.1957: Mell Lazarus' Miss Peach, a strip focusing on a teacher and her young, diminutive students, begins its 45-year run. Miss Peach teaches at the Kelly School, named after Walt Kelly, the creator of Pogo.

2.4.1973: Dik Browne unveils Hägar the Horrible, a strip about a far-from-fearsome Viking. The cast also includes Hägar's wife Helga, son Hamlet, daughter Honi, and dog Snert, among others.

Hägar the Horrible

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.