Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 10

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.

3.10.1896: Coulton Waugh is born in Cornwall, England. His 1947 book, The Comics, was the first comprehensive history and analysis of the medium.

3.10.1920: Jack Kent is born in Burlington, Iowa. He created King Aroo, which began its 15-year run in November 1950. The comic was not a great commercial success, but it has often been compared to Walt Kelly’s Pogo.

3.10.1935: Carl Anderson’s Henry, already established as a daily strip about a young, bald boy who is mute, expands to include a Sunday feature.

3.10.1935: Smokey Stover, a screwball comedy strip created by Bill Holman, debuts as a Sunday cartoon. 

3.10.1997: Stan Drake, co-creator of The Heart of Juliet Jones and the soap opera’s illustrator for most of its run, dies at 75. 

3.10.2008: Daddy’s Home begins its run. Written by Tony Rubino and illustrated by Gary Markstein, Daddy’s Home is a domestic comic in which the father works out of his home office.

King Aroo

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.