Today in the history of the American comic strip: September 20

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.

9.20.1901: Gus Edson, co-creator of Dondi (1955-1986), is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

9.20.1920: Winnie Winkle makes its debut as Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner. The strip survived until 1996.

9.20.1954: Ray Helle introduces The Flibbertys, a family strip that also included a dog, a cat and a mouse. The animals could talk among themselves.
 
9.20.1962: Bill Amend, the creator of FoxTrot, is born in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was named 2006 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society.

9.20.1964: Ben Casey, already in print as a daily strip, adds a Sunday installment. Both strips ended in 1966.

9.20.1965: Bob Weber debuts Moose, later known as Moose and Molly. Moose is a lazy, out-of-work loafer and Molly is his extremely tolerant wife. 

9.20.1965: Tales of the Green Beret debuts with a Vietnam War setting. It survived until 1968. 

9.20.1972: William Ritt, co-creator of the Brick Bradford science fiction strip, which ran from 1933 to 1987, dies at 70.

9.20.1992: Mere days after Dagwood Bumstead of the Blondie strip went to work for his wife Blondie in her new catering business, she fires him for eating up the profits. Dagwood will go back to work for his longtime boss, J.C. Dithers.

9.20.2010: Ed Stein unveils Freshly Squeezed, a cartoon about multi-generational families.

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.

The New Yorker covers: November 13, 1965

The New Yorker isn’t Sports Illustrated, of course. But a fair number of sports, from basketball and baseball to golf and hockey, have graced the magazine's covers in one form or another since its founding in 1925.

Peter Arno
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Stefan Zweig

There is nothing more terrible than to be alone among human beings.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

“Landscape in Suffolk,” 1748, Thomas Gainsborough

Movie Posters, 1971: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

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

9.19.1872: A. D. Condo is born in Freeport, Illinois. He collaborated with J. W. Raper to create The Outbursts of Everett True (1905-1927). He also created Mr. Skygack, from Mars (1907-1917), which is considered the first science fiction comic.

9.19.1949: Casey Ruggles, a Sunday-only Western strip for the past few months, adds a daily strip. The comic survived until 1954.

9.19.1952: Linus van Pelt of security blanket fame, the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt, makes his first appearance in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. However, he isn't mentioned by name until three days later.
 
9.19.2010: The illustrator of Inside Woody Allen, Stuart Hample, dies in New York City. He was 84. As its name suggests, the strip focused on Allen's quirks and foibles. It ran from 1976 to 1984.

Casey Ruggles

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.

The New Yorker covers: May 7, 1955

Merriam-Webster defines a garden as “a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated,” but the dictionary’s definitions also include this: “a container (such as a window box) planted with usually a variety of small plants.” Houseplants and cut flowers may not meet either definition, but I think they come close.

Edna Eicke
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Robert Benchley

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

“Flowers in a Blue Vase," ca. 1934, Alfredo Ramos Martinez