The Tennessee Quarter is the sixteenth of the 50 States Commemorative Quarters released by the U.S. Mint and first of the year 2002.

According to the U.S. Mint’s official website, the Tennessee quarter celebrates the state’s contributions to our nation’s musical heritage. The design incorporates musical instruments and a score with the inscription ’Musical Heritage.”

Three stars represent Tennessee’s three regions and the instruments symbolize each region’s distinct musical style. The fiddle represents the Appalachian music of east Tennessee, the trumpet stands for the blues of west Tennessee for which Memphis is famous, and the guitar is for central Tennessee, home to Nashville, the capital of country music.

The Ohio Quarter is the second quarter of 2002 and seventeenth in the 50 States Commemorative Quarters series released by the U.S. Mint.

According to the U.S. Mint’s official website, the Ohio quarter honors the state’s contribution to the history of aviation, depicting an early aircraft and an astronaut, superimposed as a group on the outline of the state. The design also includes the inscription ’Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers.”

The claim of this inscription is well justified – the history-making astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn were both born in Ohio, as was one of the inventors of the airplane. Ohio was also the site of the 1906 flyer’s development and testing.

The Louisiana Quarter is the eighteenth of the 50 States Commemorative Quarters released by the U.S. Mint and third of the year 2002.

According to the U.S. Mint’s official website, the Louisiana quarter displays the image of Louisiana’s state bird – the pelican, a horn with musical notes, and the outline of the Louisiana Purchase territory, along with the inscription ’Louisiana Purchase.”

Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 for $15 million. Dubbed the ’greatest real estate deal in history” the Louisiana Purchase added thirteen new states to the Union, nearly doubling its size and making it one of the largest countries in the world.

The horn on the coin is a tribute to the state’s heritage of jazz music, a genre heard and played by millions of enthusiasts around the globe. Jazz was born in New Orleans over a hundred years ago, a combination of elements from blues, ragtime, and marching band music. A multitude of musicians propelled jazz from New Orleans’ French Quarter onto the world stage, making the style a dominant force in 20th Century music.

The Indiana Quarter is the nineteenth of the 50 States Commemorative Quarters released by the U.S. Mint and fourth of the year 2002.

According to the U.S. Mint’s official website, the Indiana quarter represents the state pride in the famous Indianapolis 500 race. The design features the image of a race car superimposed on an outline of the state with the inscription ’Crossroads of America.” The design also includes 19 stars signifying Indiana as the 19th state to ratify the Constitution.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a 2.5 mile track built in 1909 for automotive research purposes. While the track was and is used for research, it is best known for hosting auto races, most famously, the Indy 500. The oldest auto race in the world, the Indy 500 has been run every year since 1911, except during the two World Wars.

The winner of the first Indy 500 was Ray Harroun whose car, the Marmon Wasp, is thought to have been the first to have a single seat and to use a rearview mirror. In the time since Harroun’s victory, the Indy 500 has become an international event, synonymous with auto racing.

The Mississippi Quarter is the last of the 50 States Commemorative Quarters released by the U.S. Mint and 20th of the year 2002.

According to the U.S. Mint’s official website, the Mississippi quarter showcases the beauty and elegance of the state flower, combining the blossoms and leaves of two magnolias with the inscription “The Magnolia State.”

The magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol, is strongly associated with the South, where the flower became enormously popular after it was introduced from Asia. This association became strong enough that Mississippi adopted it as the state flower in 1952.