Today in the history of the American comic strip: September 8

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.

9.8.1930: Blondie, by Chic Young, gets its start. Young drew the strip until his death in 1973, when creative control shifted to his son, Dean Young, who has been writing the strip in collaboration with various artists.

9.8.1955: A villain named Benny-The-Grip makes his first appearance in Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy. Gould’s strip has featured a long list of colorful, often bizarre-looking, evildoers over the years.

9.8.1958: Gil Thorp, a sports-themed strip, makes its debut. Created by Jack Berrill, the comic remained in syndication as of 2018. 

9.8.1958: Fueled by heightened interest in the space race following the launch of Sputnik, Sky Masters of the Space Force debuts, with a focus on the adventures of an American astronaut. It ran until December 1961.

9.8.1974: Jimmy Swinnerton, creator of The Little Bears (1892-1896), Mr. Jack (1903-1935) and Little Jimmy (1904-1958), dies in Palm Springs, California, at 98.

9.8.2002: Mel Lazarus' Miss Peach ends its 45-year run. The eponymous Miss Peach was a teacher at the Kelly School, named after Walt Kelly, the creator of 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.