Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 18

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.

3.18.1889: Gene Byrnes, the creator of Reg’lar Fellers, is born in New York City. His comic about a group of suburban kids ran from 1917 to 1949. 

3.18.1963: Trudy debuts. Created by Jerry Marcus, it focused on the homemaker of the title as she manages her family and its pets. The strip was syndicated until 2005, the year Marcus died.

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.