The New Yorker covers: March 15, 1969

In this day and age, we associate St. Patrick’s Day with “the wearing of the green” and predictably heavy beer sales. But the March 17 holiday originated as a religious holy day honoring a 5th-century Christian bishop who worked in Ireland.

Anatol Kovarsky
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Erma Bombeck

Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.

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

"Sarah Bernhardt," 1901, Paul Berthon

Movie Posters, 1948: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: December 13

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.

12.13.1982: Arnold, a syndicated strip by Kevin McCormick noted for its off-beat sense of humor, debuts. It ran until 1988.
 

12.13.1987: George Wunder dies in New Milford, Connecticut, at 75. He drew Terry and the Pirates for more than two decades after creator Milton Caniff called it quits in 1946.

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 6, 1950

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.

Roger Duvoisin
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Marcus Tullius Cicero

A room without books is like a body without a soul.