Updated February 4, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Feb. 5, 1937, President Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics charged Roosevelt was attempting to “pack” the court.

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On Feb. 5, 1900, Adlai Ewing Stevenson, the American politician and diplomat, was born. Following his death on July 14, 1965, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1881 Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated.

1917 Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, a law severely curtailing the immigration of Asians.

1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices. Critics charged that he was attempting to “pack” the court.

1958 Gamel Abdel Nasser was nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic, a short-lived union of Syria and Egypt.

1988 The Arizona House of Representatives impeached Gov. Evan Mecham, who was later convicted in the state Senate and removed from office.

1988 Panamanian military leader Gen. Manuel Noriega was indicted on bribery and drug trafficking charges in Florida.

1994 White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Miss., of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. He was sentenced to life in prison.

1997 Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter.

2001 Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

2002 A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban,” alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden’s network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Laura Linney turns 48 years old today.

AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron turns 78 years old today.

AP Photo/John Bazemore

1928 Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, Professor, author, turns 84

1942 Roger Staubach, Football Hall of Famer, turns 70

1943 Michael Mann, Director, turns 69

1944 Al Kooper, Rock musician, singer (Blood, Sweat and Tears), turns 68

1946 Charlotte Rampling, Actress, turns 66

1948 Christopher Guest, Actor, screenwriter (“This is Spinal Tap”), turns 64

1948 Barbara Hershey, Actress, turns 64

1948 Tom Wilkinson, Actor, turns 64

1959 Jennifer Granholm, Former governor of Michigan, turns 53

1961 Tim Meadows, Actor, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 51

1962 Jennifer Jason Leigh, Actress, turns 50

1967 Chris Parnell, Actor-comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 45

1968 Roberto Alomar, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 44

1969 Bobby Brown, R&B singer, turns 43

1971 Sara Evans, Country singer, turns 41

1987 Darren Criss, Actor, singer (“Glee”), turns 25

Historic Birthdays

Adlai Ewing Stevenson 2/5/1900 – 7/14/1965 American politician/diplomat.Go to obituary »

70 Marie Sevigne 2/5/1626 – 4/17/1696
French writer, mostly of letters to her daughter

41 Belle Starr 2/5/1848 – 2/3/1889
American outlaw in Texas and Oklahoma territory

57 Andre-Gustave Citroen 2/5/1878 – 7/3/1935
French engineer/industrialist

71 Ralph E. McGill 2/5/1898 – 2/3/1969
American journalist

82 John Carradine 2/5/1906 – 11/27/1988
American actor

83 William S. Burroughs 2/5/1914 – 8/2/1997
American writer

75 Robert Hofstadter 2/5/1915 – 11/17/1990
American physicist, winner of Nobel prize

77 Andreas Papandreou 2/5/1919 – 6/23/1996
Greek prime minister

1881	Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated.
1917	Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, a law severely curtailing the immigration of Asians.
1937	President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices. Critics charged that he was attempting to “pack” the court.
1958	Gamel Abdel Nasser was nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic, a short-lived union of Syria and Egypt.
1988	The Arizona House of Representatives impeached Gov. Evan Mecham, who was later convicted in the state Senate and removed from office.
1988	Panamanian military leader Gen. Manuel Noriega was indicted on bribery and drug trafficking charges in Florida.
1994	White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Miss., of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. He was sentenced to life in prison.
1997	Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter.
2001	Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
2002	A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban,” alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden’s network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.

1928	Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, Professor, author, turns 84
1942	Roger Staubach, Football Hall of Famer, turns 70
1943	Michael Mann, Director, turns 69
1944	Al Kooper, Rock musician, singer (Blood, Sweat and Tears), turns 68
1946	Charlotte Rampling, Actress, turns 66
1948	Christopher Guest, Actor, screenwriter (“This is Spinal Tap”), turns 64
1948	Barbara Hershey, Actress, turns 64
1948	Tom Wilkinson, Actor, turns 64
1959	Jennifer Granholm, Former governor of Michigan, turns 53
1961	Tim Meadows, Actor, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 51
1962	Jennifer Jason Leigh, Actress, turns 50
1967	Chris Parnell, Actor-comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 45
1968	Roberto Alomar, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 44
1969	Bobby Brown, R&B singer, turns 43
1971	Sara Evans, Country singer, turns 41
1987	Darren Criss, Actor, singer (“Glee”), turns 25

70	Marie Sevigne 2/5/1626 – 4/17/1696 French writer, mostly of letters to her daughter
41	Belle Starr 2/5/1848 – 2/3/1889 American outlaw in Texas and Oklahoma territory
57	Andre-Gustave Citroen 2/5/1878 – 7/3/1935 French engineer/industrialist
71	Ralph E. McGill 2/5/1898 – 2/3/1969 American journalist
82	John Carradine 2/5/1906 – 11/27/1988 American actor
83	William S. Burroughs 2/5/1914 – 8/2/1997 American writer
75	Robert Hofstadter 2/5/1915 – 11/17/1990 American physicist, winner of Nobel prize
77	Andreas Papandreou 2/5/1919 – 6/23/1996 Greek prime minister

I Measure Every Grief I Meet by Emily Dickinson

I measure every grief I meet
With analytic eyes;
I wonder if it weighs like mine,
Or has an easier size.

I wonder if they bore it long,
Or did it just begin?
I could not tell the date of mine,
It feels so old a pain.

I wonder if it hurts to live,
And if they have to try,
And whether, could they choose between,
They would not rather die.

I wonder if when years have piled–
Some thousands–on the cause
Of early hurt, if such a lapse
Could give them any pause;

Or would they go on aching still
Through centuries above,
Enlightened to a larger pain
By contrast with the love.