Today in History - February 27: Glasses found in a sealed envelope sparks court case
A pair of glasses found in an envelope in a small town courthouse on February 27, 1980, sparked a high-profile trial over their ownership.
Sheriff Gerald Allen found a sealed manilla envelope labelled "rec'd April 7 1959" in the Cerro Gordo County courthouse vault in the US state of Iowa.
When he opened the envelope, he found two watches, two dice, a cigarette lighter and a pair of thick-framed glasses.
READ MORE: Tiny oversight cost beloved movie its copyright
Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in 1959. AAP
The engraving on one of the wristwatches - JP Richardson - helped identify what the source of the items were.
JP Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, was one of three rock stars killed in a plane crash in the county on February 3, 1959.
Allen quickly concluded the glasses belonged to the most famous victim of the crash - Buddy Holly.
The small plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing the three musicians and the pilot instantly.
The wreckage from the plane was scattered over 160 square metres.
It is believed the items in the envelope had been recovered months after the crash when the snow melted.
But for an unknown reason, the items were never returned to their families.
Holly's bassist Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on the plane for The Big Bopper.
"I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Holly jokingly told Jennings as they parted ways.
"Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" Jennings replied.
Jennings would later become a major country music star.
READ MORE: Comedy taken off air mid-episode after just ten minutes
The glasses are now on display at a museum in Lubbock, Texas. Buddy Holly Center
One of the biggest rock and roll stars in the world, Holly was well-known for his glasses.
Allen set out to return the frames to Holly's parents, who were still alive at the time.
But Holly's widow Maria Holly-Diaz objected, saying the glasses should belong to her as his next-of-kin.
The case ended up in court, upstairs from the vault where they were found.
In a brief hearing, the judge ruled the glasses belonged to Holly-Diaz.
She later sold them for US$80,000 to a museum in the rocker's hometown in Lubbock, Texas, where they remain on display today.
The couple had been married just six months before Holly's untimely death at the age of 22.
READ MORE: Crowd gasps as Julie Andrews takes revenge in acceptance speech
Buddy Holly's widowed bride Maria found out about his death via a television report, and suffered a miscarriage the next day. Public Domain
Holly-Diaz found out about her husband's death via a television news report and suffered a miscarriage soon afterwards.
Because of the public outrage after this, emergency services introduced a policy of not identifying fatalities to the media until after family had been told.
READ MORE: Only six people saw the biggest flop of all time
For more from our Today in History archive, click here
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
