Today in Comics History, October 14, 1806: French military defies expectations of American dumbasses

from "General Antoine Henri Jomini" in It Really Happened #3 (Pines, 1944), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, May 6, 1937: "So, what would you say if I told you that your mother made a phony bomb threat just to get a free ride on a blimp?"

Somebody asked me, "Hey Bully, are you gonna do a Today in Comics History about that big blimp from the 1930s?" And I said, "I already did a post about Orson Welles!"


Okay, okay! Today in Comics History, May 6: Born on this date: Tom Raymond, the Golden Age Human Torch's sidekick Toro!

Oh, and a big balloon blew up.


from The Torch #1 (Marvel, November 2009), co-plot by Alex Ross, co-plot and script by Mike Carey, pencils and inks by Patrick Berkenkotter, colors by Carlos Lopez, letters by Todd Klein
It's the Hindenburg! Yes, a tragic moment in aeronautics for the humanity, but on the other hand, it was a Nazi airship.


from "News Snapshots - Past and Present" in It Really Happened #10 (Pines, August 1947), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, December 4: Happy birthday, "Pappy" Boyington!

Born on this day in 1912: Lt. Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Marine and WWII Flying Ace in the Pacific front.



from "'Pappy' Boyington" in It Really Happenedi #8 (Pines, April 1947), creators uncredited and unknown
Pretty much every other panel in that 3-page story is filled with racist slurs (including the bottom of the first panel), so why not instead watch Robert Conrad as Pappy in the 1976-78 NBC-T series Baa Baa Black Sheep (aka Black Sheep Squadron). Gotta be better than the comic.



Pappy birthday, Happy! Oh, you know what I mean.

Today in Comics History, November 8, 1942: I never knew my sister was a general during the Second World War

from "General George C. Marshall" in It Really Happened #7 (Pines, February 1947), pencils by King Ward

Today in Comics History, September 22, 1528: Makeshift fleet sails far from coast and is immediately sunk

from "Cabeza de Vaca" in It Really Happened #3 (Pines, 1944), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, September 1, 1939: Pretty much the worst telemarketing call ever

from "General George C. Marshall" in It Really Happened #7 (Pines, February 1947), pencils by King Ward

Today in Comics History, August 28, 489: Somehow I doubt this really happened

from "Theodoric the Great!" in It Really Happened #3 (Pines, 1944), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, August 17, 1942: Makin' Whoopee

Quietly? He's noisier than Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos!


from "Carlson’s Raiders" in It Really Happened #3 (Pines, 1944), creators uncredited and unknown
Sayyyyy, does that "Carlson's Raiders" logo look kinda familiar?

Today in Comics History, August 7, 1942: THEN...KOREA GUADALCANAL

from "They Won Their Spurs! John Basilone, Marine" in It Really Happened #10 (Pines, August 1947), creators uncredited and unknown
("THEN...KOREA" is copyright ©2012 Mike Sterling and ProgressiveRuin.com.)

Today in Comics History, June 12, 1944: When you comin' home, son? / I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad

from "Like Father, Like Son" in It Really Happened #7 (Pines, February 1947), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, July 4, 1939: I hope you didn't expect me to have a joke for this one, because I love Lou Gehrig

from "Scoops to Remember" in Real Fact Comics #5 (November 1946), pencils and inks by George Roussos


from "Iron Man Lou Gehrig" in Real Heroes #6 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1942), pencils and inks by Chad Grothkopf



from "Lou Gehrig: Baseball's Iron Horse" in It Really Happened #5 (Pines, October 1946), pencils and inks by Sam Cooper (?)

Today in Comics History, July 2, 1937: Amelia Earhart successfully circumnavigates the Universal Studios logo

from "Amelia Earhart" in It Really Happened #5 (Pines, October 1946), pencils and inks by Leo Morey

Today in Comics History, June 6, 1944: D-Day: Hitler plussed

from "General George C. Marshall" in It Really Happened #7 (Pines, (February 1947), pencils by King Ward

Today in Comics History, June 2, 1941: We remember Lou Gehrig

No jokes or snark, folks, just saluting one of baseball's greatest players on the anniversary of his death.


from "Lou Gehrig: Baseball's Iron Horse" in It Really Happened #5 (Pines, October 1946), pencils and inks by Sam Cooper (?)

Today in Comics History, May 10, 1865: Ironically, Jefferson Davis couldn't raise cash bail

from "Jefferson Davis" in It Really Happened #7 (Pines, February 1947), pencils by Chas. M. Quinlan

Today in Comics History, May 2, 1939: Lou Gehrig takes a bath

from "Lou Gehrig: Baseball's Iron Horse" in It Really Happened #5 (Pines, October 1946), pencils and inks by Sam Cooper (?)

Today in Comics Real History, February 19, 1945: They battled up Iwo Jima hill / Two hundred and fifty men / But only twenty-seven lived / To walk back down again

The comics you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the comics industry view of today's society, these panels are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.

---

from "Scoops... Pictures to Remember" in Real Fact Comics #5 (DC/National, November 1946), pencils and inks by George Roussos

Today in Comics History: Sarge doesn't like the looks of that next panel border

Panel from "They Won Their Spurs!: John Basilone, Marine" in It Really Happened #10 (August 1947), creators unknown

Today in Comics History: Well, That'll Really Happen

Panels from "News Snapshots: Past and Present" in It Really Happened #10 (August 1947), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 14, 1865: Aside from that, yes, actually, Mrs. Lincoln did enjoy the play

Today in comic books, and, for that matter, real life:


from "News Snapshots: Past and Present" in It Really Happened #10 (Pines, August 1947), creators unknown
Yes, it's It Really Happened, the comic book where it really happened! As opposed to the comic book Jack Kirby's We Wish It Happened!:


from The New Gods (1971 series) #1 (DC, February 1971), script and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by John Costanza
And if you think that's impressive, just imagine what Vince Coletta erased!

Anyway, Lincoln was relaxing at the theatre, and on with the show! Say, I wonder what Lincoln was enjoying so much?





from (top to bottom) It Really Happened #10; the Marvo the Magician story in Lightning Comics (1940 series) v.2 #1 (Ace, June 1941), creators unknown; "The Super Stunt-Man!" in Superman (1939 series) #26 (DC, January 1944), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Joe Shuster and Ira Yarbrough, inks by George Roussos (?); from "Vaudeville Section" in Fat and Slat #4 (EC, Spring 1948), script and art by Ed Wheelan
Yes, that's how it really happened.

...

Naw, I'm jus' foolin' ya. Here's how it actually "went down," as the kids say today.


So. That happened.

Then, today tomorrow and twelve days from now in comics history, this happened:


Hmm. I think I prefer my version better. Sorry, Mr. Lincoln!

More President Lincoln getting assassinated comics here. So many there ought be an entire tab on TV Tropes for this.