In support of Singapore’s educational and cultural development, part-time branch libraries were started by the Raffles Library in the 1950s, with the first of these set up at Upper Serangoon in 1953. Stocked with books for juniors and adults, such as dictionaries, ...
Between 1980 and 1995, the National Library embarked on the computerisation of its library operations and services. To keep abreast with the information technology (IT) revolution, new audiovisual, multimedia and online services were also launched. Decentralisation ...
The Queenstown Community Library located at 53 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149297, was opened on 2 May 1970. It was the first full-time Branch Library, built by the National Library in its plan to decentralise home reading services. It pioneered several firsts amongst ...
The arrival of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in India in 1498 meant that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover a direct sea route to Asia via the Cape of Good Hope and, subsequently, Southeast Asia. Their main motive in seeking out the maritime ...
Community Libraries are administered by the National Library Board to provide library services in the HDB heartland and town centres of Singapore. All the community libraries are situated close to the homes and offices of people so as to help them avail its services ...
Opened on 12 November 1960, the Central Community Library was located in the former National Library Building on Stamford Road. It used to be called the Central Lending Library until 1 September 1995 when the National Library became a statutory board and it was ...
The Parsis (or Parsees) are descendants of Zoroastrian Persians who settled in India in the 10th century. They first arrived in Singapore in the 19th century. As of 2017, an estimated 350 Parsis live in Singapore. Parsi Road and Parsi Cemetery are named after ...
The battle of Bukit Timah (10–12 February 1942) took place during the Japanese invasion of Singapore. On the night of 10 February, two divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army attacked Bukit Timah, capturing the area in the early hours of 11 February. A subsequent ...
Infectious disease outbreaks were prevalent in Singapore since pre-independence. Then, infectious diseases, such as cholera, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, smallpox, polio and measles, were often associated with unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions. Today, ...
The Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association was founded in 1946 after World War II. Formerly known as the Singapore Chinese Medical Society, it is one of the largest traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) organisations in Singapore. It was established to provide ...
The fall of Melaka to the Portuguese in 1511 marked the beginning of the Johor kingdom. The last ruler of Melaka, Sultan Mahmud, fled and eventually settled on the island of Bintan. Sultan Mahmud was succeeded by his son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah, who established ...
Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, is an infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium. It spreads from person to person via airborne respiratory droplets from an infected person, and primarily affects the lungs. In the 19th century, Singapore’s ...
The postwar years ushered in the adoption of radio as a form of mass media and popular entertainment in Singapore. The establishment of Radio Malaya in 1946 and its successor Radio Singapore in 1959 expanded local infrastructure and manpower capabilities in radio ...
Radio broadcasting began in Singapore in 1924 through the initiatives of a small circle of amateur radio enthusiasts and hobbyists. It was developed further by commercial companies until it was nationalised by the colonial government in response to the threat of ...
Founded by “Tiger Balm King” Aw Boon Haw, the Chinese-language Sin Chew Jit Poh (星洲日报) newspaper was first issued on 15 January 1929. It was one of the leading Chinese dailies in Singapore until its merger with Nanyang Siang Pau (南洋商报) on 15 March 1983 to form ...
Xing Ying (杏影) (b. 1911, China–d. 5 January 1967, Singapore), whose real name was Yang Fangjie (杨芳洁) and was also known as Yang Shoumo (杨守默), was a pioneer writer and editor of literary supplements. Besides “Xing Ying”, he also published under other pen names such ...
The influx of immigrants to Singapore in the 19th century brought various communicable diseases, such as smallpox, leprosy and cholera to the island. Health inspections and regulations became increasingly important in order to control the spread of such diseases ...
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 ...
Lim Hung Chang (林汉精 ; b. 17 October 1949, Singapore– ), better known by his pseudonym Lin Gao (林高), is one of the leading figures in the Chinese literary scene in Singapore. He has used various pen names, such as Lin Yifei (林一飞), Sanmuzi (三木子) and Lin Jingshan ...
Quarantine was formally introduced as a public health control measure in Singapore in 1868. It was an important method of disease control before the widespread adoption of vaccination and antimicrobial therapy. As a cosmopolitan port settlement, Singapore was particularly ...