Today in the history of the American comic strip: February 21

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.

2.21.1937: Frank Miller’s daily aviation strip, Barney Baxter in the Air, adds a Sunday page. The comic began its run in 1936, and remained in print until 1950.

2.21.2008: The University of Michigan Press releases Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist, by Nancy Goldstein. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ormes lived from 1911 to 1985. 

2.21.2016: The New York Times reports that Berkeley Breathed, the creator of Bloom County and related comic strips, shared a correspondence with the late Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. The newspaper said Lee proved to be “a witty, impish and loyal pen pal” who loved Opus the penguin.

2.21.2020: Snoopy’s Twitter account deletes a tweet showing Charlie Brown telling Franklin, an African-American character in Peanuts, “You’re one of the good ones,” which some Twitter users interpreted as racist. The account explained the deletion: “Earlier today a tweet from this account, featuring an image of two friends, was misinterpreted. As this was not the intended message of the post, it has been deleted so as not to perpetuate an inaccurate interpretation. The post was meant as a celebration of friendship.”
 

Barney Baxter in the Air

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.