Today in the history of the American comic strip: September 1

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.

9.1.1868: Kin Hubbard is born in Bellefontaine, Ohio. In 1904, he launched the Abe Martin strip, which ran until 1937.
 

9.1.1897: Jimmy Hatlo is born in East Providence, Rhode Island. He created They’ll Do It Every Time (1929-2008) and a spin-off, Little Iodine (1943-1985).

9.1.1945: Jackie Ormes, the first African-American woman cartoonist, debuts Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger, a single-panel cartoon about the relationship between two sisters. The comic survived for 11 years.

Little Iodine

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.