1/22/1934 Secret Agent X-9 gets commissioned.

January 22, 1934.  If the comic strip Secret Agent X-9 never became a household name you can't blame its pedigree.  The artist was Alex Raymond, who drew Flash Gordon.  The writer was Dashiell Hammett, and if I need to tell you what else he wrote, why are you reading this blog? 

The strip started on this date.  After Hammett left Leslie Charteris took over for a while.  He is better known for creating The Saint. 

The strip ran until 1996.