<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A pair of glasses found in an envelope in a small town courthouse on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-27-what-happened-on-this-day/9ff6168a-1da3-49aa-bea1-b803a33c98ca" rel="" target="" title="February 27, 1980"><span>February 27, 1980</span></a><span>, sparked a high-profile trial over their ownership.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sheriff Gerald Allen found a sealed manilla envelope labelled "rec'd April 7 1959" in the Cerro Gordo County courthouse vault in the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/dems-to-release-iowa-results-later-today/2cd03f13-2d21-46cb-8d76-68bb66d9a61d" rel="" target="" title="US state of Iowa"><span>US state of Iowa</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When he opened the envelope, he found two watches, two dice, a cigarette lighter and a pair of thick-framed glasses.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-september-23-what-happened-on-this-day-charade-copyright-error/5df60beb-3ff9-454d-9e4f-607c0cf081f8" target="" title="Tiny oversight cost beloved movie its copyright"><strong><span>Tiny oversight cost beloved movie its copyright</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The engraving on one of the wristwatches - JP Richardson - helped identify what the source of the items were.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>JP Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, was </span><a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/don-mclean-song-american-pie-the-day-the-music-died-buddy-holly-ritchie-valens-big-boppa-plane-crash/afe0ad6c-a906-49af-b8ef-288d6f4003c4" rel="" target="" title="one of three rock stars killed in a plane crash in the county"><span>one of three rock stars killed in a plane crash in the county</span></a><span> on February 3, 1959.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Allen quickly concluded the glasses belonged to the most famous victim of the crash - </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/woman-who-inspired-peggy-sue-dies-at-78/47b8ad88-2c28-402a-a114-9726b7321d1f" rel="" target="" title="Buddy Holly"><span>Buddy Holly</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-27-what-happened-on-this-day-buddy-holly-glasses-found/0421dc3a-1afa-4a6b-99aa-5dd2e35c897c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The small plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing the three musicians and the pilot instantly.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The wreckage from the plane was scattered over 160 square metres.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is believed the items in the envelope had been recovered months after the crash when the snow melted.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But for an unknown reason, the items were never returned to their families.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Holly's bassist Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on the plane for The Big Bopper.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Holly jokingly told Jennings as they parted ways.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" Jennings replied.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jennings would later become a major country music star.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-5-what-happened-on-this-day/fd3ab70d-3622-47b7-bd02-b11bdf46e5f5"><strong><span>Comedy taken off air mid-episode after just ten minutes</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One of the biggest rock and roll stars in the world, Holly was well-known for his glasses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Allen set out to return the frames to Holly's parents, who were still alive at the time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Holly's widow Maria Holly-Diaz objected, saying the glasses should belong to her as his next-of-kin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The case ended up in court, upstairs from the vault where they were found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a brief hearing, the judge ruled the glasses belonged to Holly-Diaz.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She later sold them for US$80,000 to a museum in the rocker's hometown in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/usa-news-truck-fog-crash-texas-caught-on-camera/bd3f9b82-dc22-417d-9010-af8df9a66ade" rel="" target="" title="Lubbock, Texas"><span>Lubbock, Texas</span></a><span>, where they remain on display today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The couple had been married just six months before Holly's untimely death at the age of 22.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/today-in-history-february-8-what-happened-on-this-day/8f3f20f8-a98a-4100-9617-b4b8c1bde5c3"><strong><span>Crowd gasps as Julie Andrews takes revenge in acceptance speech</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Holly-Diaz found out about her husband's death via a television news report and suffered a miscarriage soon afterwards.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-25-what-happened-on-this-day-zyzzyx-road/a4c4cbcd-5d42-4ecd-8625-cb9343c93178" rel="" target="" title="Only six people saw the biggest flop of all time"><strong><span>Only six people saw the biggest flop of all time</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: 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</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>