Today in the history of the American comic strip: May 18

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.

5.18.1941: After a seven-year hiatus, The Teenie Weenies begins the third of its three runs, which, in combination, spanned more than 50 years. Created by William Donahey, the comic starred two-inch-tall humans who lived under a rose bush.
 

5.18.1996: Garry Trudeau wins a Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society as cartoonist of the year. His strip, Doonesbury, went into syndication in 1970.

5.18.1996: Tom Forman dies at 60. He and Ben Templeton created the satirical strip Motley’s Crew, which ran from 1976 to 2000. 

5.18.2008: PreTeena, a strip about a 10-year-old girl named Teena Keene, is discontinued after seven years. It was created by Allison Barrows.

PreTeena

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.