THIS DATE IN history

March 15

In 1603, French explorer Samuel de Champlain made his first voyage to New France as a member of a fur-trading expedition. The expedition explored the St. Lawrence River as far as the rapids at Lachine. In 1604, Champlain returned with the Sieur de Monts, who had a monopoly of trade in the region, to found a colony in what is now Port Royal, N.S.

In 1917, Czar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated after a four-day revolt by the armed forces. He and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks the following year.

In 1943, Canadian Pacific’s “Empress of Canada,’’ retooled as a troop ship, was sunk off the coast of West Africa after being torpedoed by the Italian submarine “Leonardo da Vinci.’’ Of the 1,800 people aboard, 400 were Italian prisoners of war and 200 Poles who had been released by the Soviet Union after Germany invaded. There were 392 fatalities: 340 passengers, including a majority of the Italian prisoners, 44 crew and eight gunners.

In 1990, the federal government decided that Sikh members of the RCMP could wear turbans and other religious garb while on duty. Many, including Western MPs, were opposed, but Solicitor General Pierre Cadieux said it was the right decision in terms of human rights, in terms of multiculturalism policy, and because it’s just smart to have visible minorities represented on the force.