The New Yorker covers: November 27, 2000

When was the first thanksgiving in what would become the United States? Virginia says 1619 in, of course, Virginia. More familiar, though, is a 1621 feast in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, involving Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. Competing claims aside, the American holiday is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

Chris Ware
"Thanksgiving.com"

And now, a few words from . . . Oscar Wilde

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

“Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap,” 1851-52

George Caleb Bingham

Movie Posters, 1918: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 20

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.

3.20.1892: Charles Kuhn, the creator of Grandma, is born in Prairie City, Illinois. He died in 1989. The strip, which began in 1947, came to an end when Kuhn retired in 1969.

3.20.1922: Out Our Way, by J. R. Williams, debuts in a handful of newspapers. Noted for its depiction of rural life, the comic ran until 1977.

3.20.1949: The Saint, which launched as a daily strip in 1948, adds a Sunday feature. The comic was inspired by the novels and short stories of Leslie Charteris.

Out Our Way

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.

The New Yorker covers: December 23, 1991

I don’t get too excited about holidays, with one major exception. I’ve always had a warm spot in my heart for Christmas. The New Yorker has run many Christmas covers over the years, some of which, such as those by the late George Booth, are quite memorable.

Stephanie Skalisky
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Mahatma Gandhi

Be the change you wish to see in the world.