Walter Crawford Kelly, Jr. was born on this day in 1913. He grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and became an animator and illustrator. Walt Kelly was an animator for Walt Disney, working on Fantasia, Pinocchio and Dumbo. After that he worked for Dell Comics, where he created Pogo the Possum. Health issues kept Kelly from fighting in World War II, but he illustrated army manuals.
After the war Kelly stated drawing political cartoons and created a comics strip featuring Pogo. The strip ran for 26 years and numerous collections were published. Pogo was not only very funny, it gave Kelly a chance to voice his politics and worldview. Probably the most famous example is a panel that depicted Pogo surveying a trash clogged swamp and declaring:
Walt Kelly passed away in 1973, leaving behind a legacy of brilliant cartooning and gentle but effective social satire.