Today in the history of the American comic strip: May 7

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.

5.7.1942: Editorial cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Tony Auth is born in Akron, Ohio. He and Daniel Pinkwater created Norb, a comic strip that ran for 52 weeks beginning in 1989.

5.7.1975: George Baker, the creator of Sad Sack, dies at 59 in Riverside, California. Sad Sack first appeared as a newspaper comic strip in 1942, and later as a comic book.

5.7.1983: The daily installment of Stan Lynde’s Latigo ends its run, but the Sunday feature survived a bit longer. The western comic debuted in 1979. 

5.7.2000: Brian Basset launches Red and Rover, a retro-set strip about the love between a boy and his dog. Basset had previously created Adam, later renamed Adam@Home.

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.