Between 1959 and 1965, Singapore’s head of state was known as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Malay for “Head of State”).The post was created to replace the governor as head of state when Singapore attained self-governing status under British rule. When Singapore became ...
Singapore’s national reserves are the net assets (assets minus liabilities) of the country. Being a small nation lacking in natural resources and relying heavily on external trade, Singapore requires ample reserves as its security net to ensure a stable currency ...
The first-ever visit to Singapore by a Catholic pope was by John Paul II on 20 November 1986. During his brief stop in Singapore, Pope John Paul II met the Singapore president and prime minister, and conducted mass which was attended by about 70,000 people at the ...
Suratman Markasan (b. 29 December 1930, Singapore– ) is a prolific poet, novelist and respected literary pioneer in Singapore. His literary career spans from the early 1950s to the present. The numerous awards he has received include: the Southeast Asian Writers ...
The Straits Medical Association was established in 1890 by a group of medical officers who saw a need to form a professional body for medical practitioners in Singapore to discuss and research local diseases and other medical subjects. The pioneering batch of office-bearers ...
Ling Siew May (b. 1937, Shanghai, China – d. 30 July 1999, Singapore) was the wife of the late former President Ong Teng Cheong, and principal partner at Ong & Ong Architects. She took over the company in 1993 and continued to work even after Ong was elected as ...
The St John Ambulance Brigade (SJAB) is a voluntary organisation founded in England in 1887 to provide first-aid support for public events and emergencies. Established in Singapore in September 1938, the local SJAB has been rendering voluntary first-aid services ...
The Istana is the official residence of the president of Singapore. Spanning over 40 ha, it is located along Orchard Road, Singapore’s prime shopping district. The present structure was designed and built by John Frederick Adolphus McNair in 1869, and originally ...
Lim Peng Siang (b. 1872, Fujian, China–d. 1944, Singapore) was a Chinese merchant who made significant contributions to Singapore’s economic and social developments in the early 1900s. He was a prominent leader of the Chinese community and held key positions in ...
Command House is located at 17 Kheam Hock Road. Built circa 1937 to 1938, it was originally known as Flagstaff House. Prior to the British withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, the building was the official residence of the British General Officer Commanding (GOC) ...
Ong Teng Cheong (b. 22 January 1936, Singapore–d. 8 February 2002, Singapore) was the fifth president of Singapore and the first to be elected into office. He was sworn in as president on 1 September 1993. An architect by training, Ong served as a People’s Action ...
The Straits Settlements, comprising Penang, Malacca and Singapore, was an administrative unit of the East India Company (1826–1867) and later the British Colonial Office (1867–1946). It was formed in 1826 as a presidency under the administration of the East India ...
Michael Peter Fay (b. 30 May 1975, St. Louis, Missouri, United States–), then an American teenager living in Singapore, stirred up a media storm after he was sentenced to six strokes of the cane in March 1994 for vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September ...
The chief justice of Singapore presides over the judiciary – a system of courts that upholds the law and ensures justice is accessible to all. Besides being responsible for the overall functioning of the Singapore judiciary, he or she plays a role in numerous appointments ...
The Cultural Medallion honours individuals who have achieved excellence in the fields of literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and film, and contributed to Singapore’s cultural environment. The award is conferred by the president of Singapore and administered ...
The residents, governors, presidents and government leaders of Singapore since the founding of Singapore in 1819.
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 ...
Nurses’ Day was originally celebrated as Nurses’ Week from 1965 before becoming Nurses’ Day in the 1980s. Nurses’ Day is a day set aside to honour and recognise the contribution of nurses to Singapore. It is usually marked with celebrations for nurses, which include ...
In May 1987, the Ministry of Home Affairs arrested 16 people under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for their involvement in a “Marxist conspiracy”. They were detained without trial for between one month and three years. Tan Wah Piow, a former University of Singapore ...
The Straits Settlements Association was founded in London by a group of ex-Straits Settlements residents on 31 January 1868. The association, which mainly comprised members from the mercantile community, aimed to safeguard the commercial and political interests ...