TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Tuesday, July 25, the 206th day of 2017. There are 159 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 25, 1967, a full-page ad in The Times (of London) called for the legalization of marijuana, saying the law against the drug was “immoral in principle and unworkable in practice.” On this date:

n In 1593, France’s King Henry IV converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.

n In 1866, Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army of the U.S., the first to hold the rank.

n In 1917, Nikon Corp. began with the merger of three optical manufacturers in Japan.

Ten years ago: Pratibha Patil was sworn in as India’s first female president.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama embraced some degree of control on the sale of weapons but also told the National Urban League in New Orleans he would seek a national consensus on combating violence.

One year ago: The FBI said it was investigating how thousands of Democratic National Committee emails were hacked.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Barbara Harris is 82. Rock musician Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds) is 74. Rock musician Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire) is 66. Country singer Marty Brown is 52. Actor Matt LeBlanc is 50. Actor Jay R. Ferguson is 43. Actor James Lafferty is 32.

Thought for Today: “No matter what side of an argument you’re on, you always find some people on your side that you wish were on the other side.”—Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born American violinist (1901-1987).