Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 25

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.

8.25.1912: Ted Key, the creator of Hazel, is born in Fresno, California. His cartoon about a live-in maid first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and found its way into newspapers after that magazine folded in 1969.

8.25.1913: Walt Kelly, the creator of Pogo, is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was named 1951 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. At its peak, Pogo ran in nearly 500 newspapers in 14 countries.

Pogo

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.