Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 25

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.

3.25.1945: Ray Bailey’s aviation adventure strip, Bruce Gentry, debuts. It survived until 1951.

3.25.1979: John Darling first appears on the comics page. Created by Tom Batiuk, the strip about a talk-show host was a spin-off of Funky Winkerbean. Batiuk killed off Darling in 1990, when the strip ended its run.

3.25.1987: Jo Fischer, creator of the office strip From 9 To 5, dies in Deerfield, Illinois. His comic ran for 25 years.

3.25.1996: David Gilbert unveils Buckles, a strip about a naive, anthropomorphic dog.

3.25.2000: Howie Schneider’s Eek & Meek ends its run after 35 years. It featured the foibles of Eek, an aggressive alcoholic, and Meek, who lived up to his name.
 

Buckles

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.