Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 31

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.

8.31.1947: Arn, the first son of Prince Valiant and Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles, is born in Hal Foster’s classic strip, Prince Valiant.

8.31.1960: Edgar Martin, the creator of Boots and Her Buddies, dies at 62, in Clearwater. Florida. The strip, which ran from 1924 to 1969, featured a central character (Boots) who was sometimes dubbed the "sweetheart of the comics."

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.