October 2, 1950
SANTA ROSA, California-When cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000) joined United Features Syndicate in 1950, the company decided to run his new comic, which the company named “Peanuts.”
Schulz’s famous comic featured characters Charlie Brown, siblings Linus and Lucy, Schroeder, Marcie, Pigpen and Charlie Brown’s beagle Snoopy. Schulz designed others to address social issues in his comic, including feminism (Peppermint Patty) and racism (Franklin).
“Peanuts” ran until Feb. 13, 2000, a day after Schulz’s death. In May 2000, several cartoonists paid homage to Schulz by inserting “Peanuts” references in their own strips.
-Compiled by Joel C. Theriault