Today in the history of the American comic strip: February 3

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.

2.3.1925: Sally Smock, an old girlfriend of Gasoline Alley’s most famous bachelor, Walt Wallet, leaves town after a visit. Is the slow-moving romance between Walt and Phyllis Blossom heating up or cooling down? Not to worry. Walt and Phyllis finally married the following year.

2.3.1969: Disney artist Al Taliaferro, best known for his work on the Donald Duck comic strip, dies in Glendale, California. He was 63.

Gasoline Alley

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.