Today in the history of the American comic strip: November 13

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.

11.13.1875: Jimmy Swinnerton, creator of The Little Bears (1892-1896) and Mr. Jack (ca. 1903-1905), is born in California.

11.13.1888: Science fiction writer Philip Francis Nowlan, best known as the creator of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D. (1929-1967), is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

11.13.1899: Charles Plumb, co-creator of Ella Cinders,(1925-1961), is born in Joplin, Missouri.

11.13.1927: Frank Godwin’s adventure strip Connie debuts. It ran until 1944.

11.13.1927: Having been born offstage, Bunky finally appears in Billy DeBeck's Bunky. The comic's star was an infant with a big nose who functioned as an adult while dressed in baby clothes. 

11.13.1947: Greg Evans, the creator of Luann, is born. He unveiled the strip in 1985.

11.13.1976: Over 30 newspapers drop a Doonesbury strip showing an unmarried Joanie Caucus and Rick Redfern in bed together. M.I.T. students picket The Boston Globe with signs reading "Joanie, we forgive you." 

11.13.1977: Al Capp’s Li’l Abner, which featured a clan of hillbillies living in Dogpatch, USA, ends its run after 43 years.

11.13.1980: In For Better or For Worse, the Pattersons adopt a sheepdog puppy, whom they name Farley. He quickly becomes a star of the strip.

 

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.