Today in the history of the American comic strip: April 13

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.

4.13.1941: James Childress is born. His cartoon Conchy, which ran in the 1970s, focused on a group of beachcombers stuck on a desert island.

4.13.1985: After four decades in print, There Oughta Be a Law! is canceled. Created by Harry Shorten and Al Fagaly, the single-panel cartoon illustrated the absurdities and frustrations of daily life.

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.