Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 31

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.

3.31.1913: Keeping Up with the Joneses goes to print. Created by Arthur R. Momand, the comic popularized the term “keeping up with the Joneses” as a way to gauge personal success by tracking how well the neighbors are doing.

3.31.1952: The marriage of Abner Yokum and Daisy Mae Scragg in Al Capp's Li'l Abner makes the cover of Life magazine.

3.31.1952: In a Life magazine article, Li’l Abner creator Al Capp says Sadie Hawkins Day, which he invented in the 1930s so women could pursue men, “doesn’t happen on any set day in November; it happens on the day I say it happens.”

3.31.2020: Alex Raymond’s 1934 pencil-and-ink comic strip featuring the first appearance of Flash Gordon sells for $480,000.

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.