Today in the history of the American comic strip: July 24

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.

7.24.1904: Winsor McCay introduces Little Sammy Sneeze, which only ran from 1904 to 1906. In each episode, Sammy sneezed himself into an awkward or disastrous predicament.

7.24.1904: Frederick Burr Opper debuts And Her Name Was Maud, a strip about a mule (Maud) with a penchant for kicking people.

And Her Name Was Maud

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.