George Herriman (1880–1944, seen in a self-portrait) was an American
cartoonist best known for the comic strip Krazy Kat (1913–44). He
started as a newspaper cartoonist in 1897 and introduced Krazy Kat in
the strip The Dingbat Family in 1910. A Krazy Kat strip began in 1913;
in its main motif, Ignatz Mouse pelted Krazy with bricks, which the
naïve Kat interpreted as symbols of love. The strip was noted for its
poetic dialogue, fantastic backgrounds, and experimental page layouts.
Herriman was drawn to the landscapes of Monument Valley and the
Enchanted Mesa, and his artwork used Navajo and Mexican motifs against
shifting desert backgrounds. More influential than popular, Krazy Kat
had an appreciative audience among people in the arts. Gilbert Seldes'
article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of
a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip.
Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst gave Herriman a lifetime
contract with King Features Syndicate, guaranteeing him a comfortable
living. The Comics Journal placed the strip first on its list of the
greatest comics of the 20th century, and his work has been a primary
influence on many cartoonists.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herriman>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
312:
Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the
Milvian Bridge in Rome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge>
1886:
In New York Harbor, U.S. President Grover Cleveland dedicated
the Statue of Liberty (pictured), a gift from France, to commemorate the
centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>
1893:
In Saint Petersburg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky led the first
performance of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique, nine days
before his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._6_(Tchaikovsky)>
1995:
The world's deadliest subway disaster took place in Baku,
Azerbaijan, when an electrical malfunction caused a fire that killed 289
passengers and injured 265 more.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Baku_Metro_fire>
2009:
The detonation of a car bomb by an as-yet unidentified party in
Peshawar, Pakistan, killed 137 people and injured more than 200 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_October_2009_Peshawar_bombing>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
mulct:
(law) A fine or penalty, especially a pecuniary one.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mulct>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I see the triumph of good over evil as a manifestation of the
error-correcting process of evolution.
--Jonas Salk
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk>