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

8.5.1875: Clare A. Briggs, who introduced the short-lived A. Piker Clerk strip in 1903 or 1904, is born in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

8.5.1924: Little Orphan Annie premieres in the New York Daily News. The strip followed the adventures of Annie, her dog Sandy and her benefactor, Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks.

8.5.1957: Andy Capp, by Reginald Smyth, debuts in Britain’s The Daily Mirror. The strip about a lazy, drunken Brit is still in print, and now has fans in many countries, including the U.S.

8.5.1959: Frank Godwin, the creator of Connie (1927-1944) and Rusty Riley (1948-1959), dies in Paterson, New Jersey, at 69.

8.5.1968: The Cisco Kid, a western strip launched in 1951 by Rod Reed and José-Luis Salinas, ends its run after 17 years.

8.5.1974: Tank McNamara, a sports-themed comic strip created by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds, takes the mound.
 

Little Orphan Annie

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.