Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 23

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.

3.23.1935: The last daily Betty Boop strip appears in print, although the Sunday page survived a bit longer. An ill-fated revival in 1984 ended four years later.

3.23.1997: Heart of the City debuts. The strip about a young girl from Philadelphia was created by Mark Tatulli, who also created the pantomime comic Lio.
 

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.