Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 19

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.

8.19.1906: Wee Willie Winkie’s World, by famed artist Lyonel Feininger, begins its short run. The comic, which still has fans today, came to an end in 1907.

8.19.1954: Stephen Bentley is born in Los Angeles, California. In 1989, he launched Herb and Jamaal, a strip about two friends who run a diner.

Wee Willie Winkie's World

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.