2 October 1950: Peanuts comic strip appears
On this day in 1950, Peanuts featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy debuted in nine US newspapers. The cartoon would net creator Charles Schulz a fortune.
America has always had a strong regional and local press. At the peak of the newspaper industry in the early 1950s there were nearly 1,800 separate papers. To avoid wasteful duplication, and ensure that readers got national news, publishers would buy columns, features and even comics from agencies (the first agency was founded in 1865). This meant that successful writers and artists could make a lot of money if their work was used in papers across America.
Syndication could make people rich witness the cartoonist Charles Schulz. While working for a correspondence school that taught drawing, Schulz had some minor success with a local newspaper with the cartoon series Li'l Folks.
Unhappy with the amount of money they were paying him, he tried to have the series syndicated. However, the agency United Feature Syndicate was more interested in a slightly modified version that they named Peanuts, to avoid confusion with a popular cartoon strip called Li'l Abner. Peanuts debuted on2 October 1950 in nine newspapers.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Peanuts would run nearly continuously for 49 years, with the final original strip running the day after Schulz's death in February 2000. By then it was appearing in 2,600 papers in 75 countries.
While Schulz's royalties from the first nine customers would be only $90 a week ($1,230 in today's money), by 1953 he was earning $30,000 a year ($358,000). In the last ten years of his career he was receiving $30m-$40m annually from all sources, including merchandising, books, TV specials and endorsements.
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.
He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.
Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.
As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri
-
Do you qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment if you live abroad?
The Winter Fuel Payment will be means tested for expats living in Europe, in line with the new rules impacting those in the UK. But a quirk in the system means not all countries are eligible.
By Katie Williams Published
-
What the Employment Rights Bill means for your job
New workplace reforms are set to give employees new rights to benefits and flexible working
By Marc Shoffman Published
-
31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UK
Features On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
By Jasper Spires Published
-
13 April 1960: the first satellite navigation system is launched
Features On this day in 1960, Nasa sent the Transit 1B satellite into orbit to provide positioning for the US Navy’s fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.
By Ben Judge Published
-
9 April 1838: National Gallery opens in Trafalgar Square
Features On this day in 1838, William Wilkins’ new National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
By Ben Judge Published
-
3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is created
Features On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
By Chris Carter Published
-
10 March 2000: the dotcom bubble peaks
Features Tech mania fanned by the dawning of the internet age inflated the dotcom bubble to maximum extent, on this day in 2000.
By Chris Carter Last updated
-
9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
Features On this day in 1776, Adam Smith, the “father of modern economics”, published his hugely influential book The Wealth of Nations.
By Ben Judge Last updated
-
8 March 1817: the New York Stock Exchange is formed
Features On this day in 1817, a group of brokers moved out of a New York coffee house to form what would become the biggest stock exchange in the world.
By Chris Carter Last updated
-
7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
Features On this day in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II took only her second trip on the tube to officially open the underground’s newest line – the Victoria Line.
By Ben Judge Last updated