June 19, 1978: This was the day that Garfield the Cat first appeared in comic strips. Everyone's favorite lasagna-loving cat was created by artist, Jim Davis, and chronicles the life of Garfield, his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Jon's dog, Odie. Every week before June 19, the strip focuses on Garfield's birthday, which he dreads because of his fear of getting older. This started happening after his sixth birthday.