Today in the history of the American comic strip: November 21

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.

11.21.1983: Doonesbury, a musical inspired by the comic strip, opens at Broadway's Biltmore Theater, earning Grammy and Drama Desk Award nominations. The show chronicles Mike and J.J.'s engagement and the college graduation of the denizens of Walden Commune.

11.21.2017: Cullen Murphy releases Cartoon County: My Father and His Friends in the Golden Age of Make-Believe. The author’s father, John Cullen Murphy, spent decades working on Prince Valiant while living in a section of Connecticut where other prominent cartoonists also resided.

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.