Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 14-20, 2026…

225 years ago August 19, 1801 Dutch artist Pieter van Loon is born.

215 years ago August 15, 1811 British artist Henry George Hine is born. The Punch cartoonist creates Mr. Crindle’s Rapid Career upon Town (1847).

140 years ago August 20, 1886 Sergio Tofano is born. The Italian artist creates Signor Bonaventura.

135 years ago August 14, 1891 Cartoonist Ralph Barton is born. The New Yorker advisory editor is known for his caricatures, and his work is featured in Ralph Barton: The Last Dandy.

125 years ago August 16, 1901 Cuban artist Horacio Rodríguez Suría is born.

120 years ago August 16, 1906 Award-winning Brazilian artist Manoel Messias De Mello is born.

120 years ago August 18, 1906 Hungarian artist István Pesthy (who works as “Falus”) is born.

115 years ago August 15, 1911 Animator and artist Ken Champin is born. His work includes many Dell funny animal comics.

110 years ago August 16, 1916 Golden Age artist Paul Gustavson is born as Paul Gustafson. He works for the Harry “A” Chesler shop, is known for his work for Centaur, Quality, and ACG, and creates and draws The Human Bomb, The Angel, and Twister.

105 years ago August 14, 1921 Artist and animator Bill Draut is born. He works for Harvey, Feature, Toby, Marvel, DC, and Warren and co-creates Bee-Man.

105 years ago August 19, 1921 Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is born.

105 years ago August 20, 1921 German artist Jürgen Kieser is born.

100 years ago August 14, 1926 Writer René Goscinny is born. He co-creates Astérix with Albert Uderzo.

100 years ago August 15, 1926 Ezra Clyde Jackson is born. His biography Invisible Men by Ken Quattro says he initially works with Maurice Whitman, and they draw Golden Age comics for the Leonard Cole studio, with work appearing in Hillman comics and in an adaptation of Typee for Classics Illustrated. He later draws for Golden Legacy and a magazine published by Myron Fass.

100 years ago August 18, 1926 Dutch artist Ton Beek is born. He works for Toonder Studios, Dutch Hanna-Barbera comics, and children’s and advertising comics.

85 years ago August 19, 1941 French writer Maurice Languereau dies at age 74. He worked as “Caumery” and was known for stories of Bécassine illustrated by Pinchon.

80 years ago August 15, 1946 Disney’s Make Mine Music opens in national release. The animated anthology includes “Casey at the Bat,” “Peter and the Wolf,” “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met,” and “The Martins and the Coys.”

80 years ago August 18, 1946 B.O. Plenty marries Gravel Gertie in Dick Tracy.

75 years ago August 14, 1951 Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst dies at age 88. Among many other activities, he promoted newspaper comic strips and was co-founder and owner of King Features Syndicate.

75 years ago August 16, 1951 Lucy van Pelt calls Charlie Brown a blockhead for the first time in Charles Schulz’ Peanuts.

75 years ago August 18, 1951 Annie Goetzinger is born. The award-winning French writer-artist is especially known for graphic biographies of women.

70 years ago August 17, 1956 Artist John S. Romita Jr. is born. He’s especially known for his work for Marvel and on Kick-Ass.

65 years ago August 14, 1961 Letterer Tracy Hampton Munsey is born.

65 years ago August 14, 1961 Artist Bill Nichols is born.

65 years ago August 18, 1961 Writer David Barbour is born.

60 years ago August 19, 1966 Artist Stefano Gaudiano is born. He draws for Marvel and DC such titles as Daredevil and Batman: Family.

50 years ago August 20, 1976 Canadian-American writer-artist Teva Harrison is born.

35 years ago August 18, 1991 Underground comix cartoonist and poster artist Rick Griffin dies at age 47 of head injuries in a motorcycle accident.

25 years ago August 15, 2001 Australian cartoonist Jim Russell dies at age 92. Lambiek says he shared (with Russ Johnson) the world record as the longest running continuously active cartoonist working without the help of an assistant: 62 years.

15 years ago August 15, 2011 Writer-artist Preston Allen “Pap” Dean dies at age 95. He was chief illustrator and editorial cartoonist for The Shreveport Times in Louisiana.

15 years ago August 18, 2011 Artist Jean Tabary dies at age 81. He was best known for co-creating Iznogoud with René Goscinny.

10 years ago August 17, 2016 Spanish editor-writer Victor Mora dies at age 85. He created El Capitán Trueno.

5 years ago August 19, 2021 Belgian writer Raoul Cauvin dies at age 82. Lambiek describes him as “one of Europe’s most successful and productive scriptwriters of humorous comics and one of the pillars of … publishing house Dupuis.”