TODAY IN HISTORY: CFL players die in plane crash near Hope

In 1956, a Trans-Canada Airlines plane crashed on Mount Sclesse, near Hope, B.C. The 62 victims included five CFL players returning from the league’s All-Star Game in Vancouver — Calvin Jones of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and four Saskatchewan Roughriders — Mel Becket, Mario DeMarco, Ray Syrnyk and Gordon Sturtridge.

In 1960, the first episode of Coronation Street aired in Britain. It remains on TV to this day.

In 1972, Canadian bush pilot Martin Hartwell was found alive in the Northwest Territories 32 days after his plane crashed. Three passengers died. It was later learned that Hartwell had eaten human flesh to stay alive.

In 1977, the crash of an executive jet in Labrador killed eight people, including four executives of the Churchill Falls hydro-electric corporation.

In 1980, admirers of John Lennon mourned his slaying in New York City the night before. Fans crowded record stores for copies of his albums and tuned in to radio stations that were playing his albums non-stop.

In 1984, The Jacksons’ Victory Tour ended at Dodger Stadium. Michael told the crowd: “It’s been a long 20 years and we love you all.” It was the last time Michael toured with his brothers.

In 1990, Henry Hicks, a former Liberal premier of Nova Scotia, died in a car accident. He was 75.

In 1990, 32 Canadian hostages arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, after being released in Baghdad, Iraq.

In 1992, Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, announced their separation after 11 years of marriage. What was once thought to be a fairytale romance had long since crumbled.

In 1996, plans were announced for Canada's first aboriginal bank, the First Nations Bank of Canada, to provide services to both native and non-native customers.

In 1998, Shaughnessy Cohen, Liberal MP for the Ontario riding of Windsor-St. Clair, died after collapsing in the House of Commons. She was 50.

In 2002, United Airlines, reeling from two years of heavy losses and unable to pay off nearly $1 billion in debt, filed for federal bankruptcy court protection. It was the largest such filing in aviation history.

In 2010, outgoing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist posthumously pardoned frontman Jim Morrison of The Doors for a 1970 indecent exposure conviction in Florida. Morrison, a Florida native, was appealing the conviction when he was found dead in a Paris bathtub in 1971 at age 27.