Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 29

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.

8.29.1867: Gustave Verbeek, creator of The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo (1903-1905), is born in Nagasaki, Japan.

8.29.1905: Disney artist Al Taliaferro, best known for his work on the Donald Duck comic strip, is born in Montrose, Colorado.

 

8.29.1948: The shmoo (plural: shmoon or shmoos) first appears in Al Capp’s Li’l Abner (although some sources list the date as Aug. 31). The popular character went on to influence pop culture, language and science.

8.29.2023: Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi release Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz. In its review, The New York Times says Schulz "comes through in these pages."

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.