October 26, 1970: The comic strip Doonesbury premieres in national syndication. It was an adaptation of a strip that Garry Trudeau had been drawing for The Yale Daily News for 2 years, titled Bull Tales.
Set at fictional Walden College, like the real Yale in Connecticut, it featured an ensemble cast. The most commonly appearing ones have been:
* Michael J. Doonesbury, native of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Introduced in the first strip. Goes on to live at "the Walden Commune." In the 1980s, turns "Yuppie," becoming an advertising man and then co-founder of a software start-up.
* B.D., based very loosely on Yale's real-life quarterback, Brian Dowling, but written as a right-wing counterpart to the liberal Mike Doonesbury. Also introduced in the first strip.
He was always seen wearing a helmet: First, a football helmet, even when away from the field; then, an Army helmet, as he served in the Vietnam War; then, a policeman's helmet, as he became a motorcycle patrolman; then an Army helmet again, as he went back in for the Persian Gulf War; a football helmet again, as he became Walden's head coach; finally, again, an Army helmet, as he served in the Iraq War, until 2004, when -- by which point he would have been around 55 years old -- he lost a leg in combat, and the helmet was removed, showing him with short hair, dark but white at the temples.
* Barbara Ann Boopstein, a.k.a. Boopsie, debuting in 1971. She married B.D.
* Mark Slackmeyer, introduced about a month into the strip. A campus revolutionary who became the voice of the college radio station, and then a disc jockey. In the 1990s, he came out of the closet as gay.
* Zonker Harris, debuting in 1971. A stereotypical hippie who founded the Walden Commune. He won $23 million in the lottery, allowing him to pursue any hobby he wanted, which would include studying medicine in Haiti.
* Joanie Caucus, debuting in 1972. After leaving her 1st husband, she runs the day care center at the Commune, while studying for her law degree. She later serves as Chief of Staff to liberal Republican Congresswoman Lacey Davenport, based on the real-life Representative Millicent Fenwick of New Jersey.
* Rick Redfern, debuting in 1976. A reporter for The Washington Post, based on Bob Woodward. Marries Joanie. Together, they have a son, Jeff. After the Republican landslide of 1984, he laments that, one day, Newt Gingrich might be one of the country's leaders -- correctly, as it turned out. He tells his wife, "Joanie, if anything happens to me, you must tell our child about Adlai Stevenson!" After the Post lays him off in the 2000s, he becomes a freelance blogger.
* J.J. Caucus, debuting in 1973, but her name, short for "Joan Junior," was not mentioned until 1979. Joanie's daughter from her 1st marriage, she was engaged to Zeke, but married Mike (yes, there was an age difference, which will come up again). A performance artist who eventually became a practitioner of "modern art," she eventually divorced Mike, and married Zeke in 2001.
* Uncle Duke, debuted 1974, journalist and all-around mysterious figure. "Uncle by courtesy" of Zonker. Based on journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who created a character based on himself, Raoul Duke.
* Zeke Brenner, debuting in 1977, former former caretaker for Uncle Duke. Married J.J. in 2001.
* Rev. Scott Sloan, debuting in 1972, based on the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, activist chaplain at Yale, where Trudeau met him.
* Lacey Davenport, introduced 1974, Republican Congresswoman. Based on real-life Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick of New Jersey. Died in 1998, but has since reappeared as a ghost.
* Andy Lippincott, introduced 1976. Law school classmate of Joanie's. He became the 1st major comic strip character to be gay, and the 1st to be diagnosed with AIDS. Died in 1990, but has since reappeared as a ghost. (Mark Slackmeyer didn't come out until after Andy died.)
* Roland Hedley, introduced in 1974, journalist.
* Jimmy Thudpucker, introduced 1975. Rock star and friend of the others.
* Alexandra "Alex" Doonesbury, born in 1988, daughter of Mike and J.J., a scientific genius who graduated early from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
* Jeff Redfern, born in 1982, son of Joanie and Rick. Worked for the CIA, then wrote novels.
* Zipper Harris, introduced in 1998. Zonker's nephew, and Jeff's roommate at Walden. He and Zonker run a legal marijuana farm in Colorado.
* Kim Rosenthal, born 1975, later reappeared as an adult. "The last orphan out of Vietnam," adopted and raised by a Jewish American couple. She dropped out of a program towards a doctorate in computer science at MIT, because it was "too easy." Becomes Mike Doonesbury's 2nd wife, and thus Alex's stepmother. Alex gets along with her considerably better than her stepfather Zeke, whom she calls "Uncle Stupidhead."
* Leo "Toggle" DeLuca, a radio technician who served under B.D. in Iraq. Lost an eye and suffered brain trauma in combat. B.D. advocated for him as a veteran, and got him a job as an engineer in a recording studio. Married Alex in 2012, and they have 3 children.
* Samantha, a.k.a. Sam, daughter of B.D. and Boopsie, born in 1992. Became a social media influencer. In 2018, came out as "gender-fluid."
In the Summer of 1974, Trudeau drew President Richard Nixon literally building a stone wall around the White House. Timing is everything, though: The strip was scheduled to run on August 12, 1974. Three days earlier, Nixon resigned.
A few days later, Trudeau drew the wall coming down, and the Sun shining on the White House, now that Nixon was gone and Gerald Ford was in.
*
October 26, 1970 was a Monday. The baseball season had ended 11 days earlier, when the Baltimore Orioles won the World Series over the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games.
On the brand-new TV series ABC Monday Night Football, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.
There were no games played in the NHL. But there were 2 games played in the NBA. The Cincinnati Royals beat the Atlanta Hawks, 126-107 at the Cincinnati Gardens. And the Detroit Pistons beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 142-111 at Cobo Hall (now Huntington Place) in Detroit. Dave Bing scored 35 points for the Pistons.
There was 1 game played in the American Basketball Association. The Virginia Squires beat the Memphis Sounds, 120-103 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis.
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