Cartoon Research presents "Winsor McCay's The Sinking of The Alpena." The story behind pioneering animator and cartoonist Winsor McCay's first commercial illustration, created at age 13 on his classroom blackboard, in Spring Lake, Michigan. Exclusive photograph of the 1880 McCay illustration of the passenger steamer The Alpena, which went down in Lake Michigan, taking all 80 aboard with her. Features a forensic examination of the 1870 census, concluding McCay was born in 1867. A biography of the man he was named after, and his connection to The Alpena. Was Little Nemo inspired by a McCay classmate? Additional exclusive photos include McCay's school and his childhood home.