Today in the history of the American comic strip: January 27

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.

1.27.1942: A villain named B-B Eyes 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.

1.27.1975: Darrin Bell is born in Los Angeles, California. He’s the creator of Candorville, a strip featuring black and Latino characters living in the inner city.

1.27.2018: Mort Walker, the creator of Beetle Bailey and co-creator of Hi and Lois, dies at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 94. Walker drew Beetle Bailey as a daily comic strip for 68 years, making him the longest-running artist in the medium’s history. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame.
 

Candorville

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.