Lien Shih Sheng (连士升) (b. 24 May 1907, Fujian, China–d. 9 July 1973, Singapore) was an influential pioneer writer and news editor. His works span multiple genres such as travelogues, commentaries and biographies. Lien is best remembered for his Letters from the ...
Tan Lark Sye (陈六使) (b. 1897, Tong An County, Fujian, China–d. 1972, Singapore) was the founder of Aik Hoe Rubber Company, a rubber exporting firm. He was also chairman of the Hokkien Huay Kuan and the founder of the former Nanyang University (Nantah).
Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan (Dr) (b. 21 November 1908, Singapore–d. 13 November 2005, Singapore), nicknamed “Mr OCBC”, was a prominent Peranakan philanthropist, and often credited as the man who built the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC).
Sophia Blackmore (b. 18 October 1857, Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia–d. 3 July 1945, Australia) was the first woman missionary sent by the Methodist Women's Foreign Missionary Society to work in Singapore. During her stay in Singapore from 1887 to 1928, she ...
Richard Tay Tian Hoe (b. 195?, Singapore–) is the executive chairman and group managing director of YHI International Limited, a Singapore public-listed company that distributes automotive and industrial products. The company is an original design manufacturer ...
Sabri Buang (b. 1964, Singapore–d. 26 March 2021) is both a writer and director of theatre and television in Singapore and abroad. In his earlier days, Sabri acted in Malay dramas for both theatre and television, and has built up a body of directorial works in ...
Goh Choo San (b. 14 September 1948, Singapore–d. 28 November 1987, Manhattan, United States) was a renowned choreographer and ballet dancer. An opportunity to work with the famed Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1978 opened doors to other internationally ...
George Lien Ying Chow (b. 2 August 1906, Guangdong, China–d. 6 August 2004, Singapore) was an entrepreneur, banker and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of Overseas Union Bank (OUB), one of Southeast Asia’s largest banks before it was acquired by ...
Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling (b. 2 May 1979, Seoul, South Korea–) is a national swimmer of Singapore, and the only athlete on record to have won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Yeo retired from competitive swimming in 2007, and is regarded as a legend ...
The premiership of Lee Kuan Yew, which lasted over three decades from 5 June 1959 to 28 November 1990, was a dynamic period that saw the transformation of Singapore into one of Asia’s most stable and prosperous countries. Lee identified the five components of successful ...
Michael Chiang (b. 1955, Malaysia–) is a prolific playwright who has received accolades for his contributions to the arts in Singapore. Mostly loved for his comedies and musicals, such as Army Daze and Beauty World, his works have been runaway successes at home ...
Tan Jiak Kim (陈若锦) (b. 29 April 1859, Singapore–d. 22 October 1917, Singapore) was a prominent Straits-born Chinese (Peranakan) merchant and political activist in the early 19th century. He was an outstanding community leader who contributed significantly to the ...
Hoo Ah Kay (also known as Whampoa) (b. approx 1816, Whampoa, Guangdong, China–d. 27 March 1880, Singapore) was a prominent Chinese businessman who ran Whampoa & Co., expanding it after the death of his father. With an uncommon mastery of English, Hoo became the ...
Jacob Ballas (b. 21 January 1921, Iraq–d. 18 January 2000, Singapore) was a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore, a successful stockbroker and well-known philanthropist. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens was named after ...
David Saul Marshall (b. 12 March 1908, Singapore–d. 12 December 1995, Singapore), Singapore’s first elected chief minister from 6 April 1955 to 7 June 1956, was a diplomat, top-notch criminal lawyer, leader of the Labour Front and founder of the Workers’ Party. ...
Tung Yue Nang (邓汝能 ; b. 1959, Singapore–) is a Singaporean artist who subscribes to the Chinese philosophy of Tao Te Ching (Dao de jing; 道德经) (“Classic of the Way of Power”) in his art practice. While initially focused on traditional Chinese paintings, Tung subsequently ...
Jose d’Almeida Carvalho E. Silva (Dr) (b. 27 November 1784, St Pedro do Sul, Portugal–d. 17 October 1850, Singapore) was a former Portuguese naval surgeon who came to Singapore to set up a dispensary, and later became one of Singapore’s leading merchants.
Iskandar Shah, also spelt as Iskandar Syah, is closely associated with Singapore and Melaka during the 14th and 15th century. He is also associated with other names in Singapore history such as Parameswara and Sri Tri Buana. His identity remains an enigma – he ...
James Richardson Logan (b. 10 April 1819, Berwickshire, Scotland–d. 20 October 1869, Penang, Malaya) was the founder and editor of the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia (JIAEA). He was one of the key advocates for freedom from Indian rule; his ...
Navroji R. Mistri (b. 3 June 1885, Bombay, India–d. 29 October 1953, Singapore) was a prominent Parsi entrepreneur who made his fortune selling soda water in Singapore. Known as the “godfather of the poor” or the “bachelor godfather” of Singapore’s poor children, ...