FEBRUARY 3 ^RD

1690: The First Paper Money in America is Issued. The Massachusetts Bay Colony issued the first banknotes to pay soldiers to fight the French in Canada. British laws prevented the Colony from minting its own coins— even going so far as to shut down a mint that issued silver coins—and the Colony issued notes of credit instead. The IOWs could be redeemed for their value in silver.

1918: The Twin Peaks Tunnel Opens. The 2.3 mile long tunnel was the longest streetcar tunnel in the world when it opened. It runs under the twin Peaks, connecting the Downtown San Francisco, California, to the city’s West Portal Neighborhood.

1959: The Day the Music Died. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed when their plane crashed during an ice storm. The three musicians were on the Winter Dance Party tour with Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch. The musicians typically took a chartered bus from one venue to the next, but the freezing weather made the rides cold and uncomfortable, with some performers suffering from frostbite and pneumonia as a result. After playing a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly decided to charter a plane to the next venue, in western Minnesota, rather than take the bus. Jennings gave his seat on the plane to Richardson, who had recently come down with the flu. Allsup and Valens flipped a coin to see who would get the last seat on the plane, and Valens won the toss. The small plane took off late at night in a snowstorm under poor visibility. Soon after takeoff, it crashed into a cornfield, killing everyone aboard.