Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 28

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.

3.28.1894: Cartoonist Wallace Carlson, co-creator of the domestic strip The Nebbs, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to working on comic strips, Carlson was a pioneering animator.

3.28.1965: Akwas, Mike Roy’s Sunday-only adventure strip set in North America before Christopher Columbus set sail, makes its final appearance as a “live” strip, although it remained in syndication until 1972.
 

The Nebbs

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.