Today in the history of the American comic strip: October 28

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.

10.28.1913: George Herriman's Krazy Kat, one of the most admired comic strips of all time, begins its run, as a daily strip. It remained in print for three decades.

10.28.1925: Leonard Starr is born in New York City. He created Mary Perkins, On Stage (1957-1979), and revived Little Orphan Annie in 1979. Starr was named 1965 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. He also received a Newspaper Comic Strip award from the National Cartoonists Society in 1960, 1963 and 1983.

10.28.2000. Irving Phillips, creator of The Strange World of Mr.Mum (1958-1974), dies in Santee, California, at 95.
 

Krazy Kat

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.