A variety of currencies were used in Singapore during different periods in its history. These included Chinese coins in the 14th century; Spanish and other silver dollars for much of the 19th century despite official attempts to introduce the Indian rupee between ...

Located at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) was formerly known as Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR). Serving as a biodiversity museum, it houses the Zoological Reference Collection – which ...

Opium (Papaver somniferum) contributed significantly to the general trade in Singapore’s pioneering years. Encouraged by the British colonial government, it reaped great profit from opium licenses. However, many Chinese coolies succumbed to this vice as an escape ...

Urban planning in Singapore began in the 1820s when Stamford Raffles implemented a land-use plan later known as the Raffles Town Plan. However, for most of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Singapore’s physical growth was haphazard and largely ...

St George’s Church is an Anglican church located at Minden Road, off Holland Road, on the grounds of what were once the Tanglin Barracks. Built between 1910 and 1913 as a garrison church, the distinctive red brick building has a rich history dating back to the ...

Onan Road stretches from Geylang Road to a low-rise residential area around Fowlie Road (near East Coast Road). It runs parallel to Joo Chiat Road and its history is closely linked with that of Joo Chiat and nearby Katong.

The Singapore Volunteer Corps began as the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1854 with the support of then Governor Colonel W.J. Butterworth. Clashes between Chinese secret societies in 1854 led to the formation of a volunteer force to boost Singapore’s internal ...

Nicoll Highway stretches westward from Mountbatten Road across the mouth of Kallang River over Merdeka Bridge down to the city centre, where it joins Connaught Drive and Stamford Road. It was built in the 1950s to alleviate frequent traffic jams on the often congested ...

The Jawi Peranakkan, the first Malay newspaper in Singapore, was founded in 1876 and remained in circulation until 1895. The rise and demise of the newspaper was closely associated with the history of the Jawi Peranakan community in Singapore. The Jawi Peranakan ...

With origins stretching back to 1921 when the Singapore Natural History Society was formed, the Nature Society (Singapore) is the leading non-government organisation concerned with nature conservation in Singapore. It supported the preservation of the zoological ...

Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) is one of the most important Malay historical works, and one of the finest literary works written in Malay, that has been handed down in various versions. There were at least seven versions of this text. Sejarah Melayu is also one ...

The Lion City Cup is a youth football tournament for boys. First held in 1977, the Cup has been credited with inspiring the creation of the FIFA U-16 World Championship. The Lion City Cup has featured national youth teams from Asia as well as the youth squads of ...

Ngee Ann Kongsi (义安公司) is a charitable welfare organisation set up by the local Teochew community in around 1830 to look after the needs of Teochew migrants. Derived from its properties and ventures, its income is mainly disbursed to fund schools and other charities. ...

One of Singapore’s oldest primary schools, Tao Nan School was established on 18 November 1906 by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (Singapore Hokkien Clan Association). The school was first located on North Bridge Road and then Armenian Street, before moving to Marine ...

Singapore River communities were people living by or around the Singapore River. In ancient times, Singapore, then known as Temasek, was a fishing village. The orang laut (sea gypsies) were the earliest known inhabitants in Singapore. Later, in the early 1800s, ...

The Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was a group of resistance fighters in Malaya, organised by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) to fight against the Japanese in Japanese-occupied Malaya. Well aware of the communist influence in MPAJA, the British were ...

The “elephant statue” is a bronze monument located at the High Street entrance of the Old Parliament House (formerly known as the Old Court House, now The Arts House) in the Downtown Core of Singapore’s Central Region. It was a gift from Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn ...

Hokien Street (sometimes spelt “Hokkien Street”) is a one-way street connecting China Street with South Bridge Road. After crossing South Bridge Road, it becomes Upper Hokien Street and ends near New Bridge Road. Hokien Street is named after the large number of ...

The Malay Regiment was an all-Malay military force formed at Port Dickson, Malaya, on 1 March 1933 under the command of British officers. Also known as Askar Melayu in Malay, the regiment is best remembered for its soldiers’ display of bravery and loyalty in the ...

Chap ji kee (which means “12 cards” in Hokkien) is an illegal lottery that was widespread in Singapore until the late 1960s. During chap ji kee’s heyday, the lottery’s popularity spawned a system of promoters and their agents, bet collectors, accountants, cashiers ...