Today in history: On Feb. 4, 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, ordering Simpson to pay $33.5 million to the victims’ families. Also on this date: In 1789, electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. In 1801, John Marshall took office as chief justice of the United States, a position he would hold for a record 34 years. In