Today in the history of the American comic strip: July 5

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.

7.5.1958: Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, is born in Washington, D.C. He was named 1986 and 1988 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society, which also awarded him and Jim Scancarelli of Gasoline Alley Newspaper Comic Strip awards in 1988.

7.5.1974: Uncle Duke is first mentioned, but not yet seen, in Doonesbury. He made his first appearance in the strip three days later.

7.5.2004: Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! debuts. Created by Tim Rickard, the strip chronicled the misadventures of Brewster Rockit, captain of the space station R. U. Sirius, and his crew. 

7.5.2008: Spot the Frog, which Mark Heath launched in 2004, ends its run. The strip focused on a talking frog who moves away from his home pond.

7.5.2016: Garry Trudeau releases Yuge!: 30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump.

 

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.