Michael and Sonya Fong were Singapore's first couple to set out on a world motorcycle trip, which they called "Baby Quek's Big Adventure", on 17 September 1995. They travelled for nearly two years, returning on 14 May 1997. Riding their 1,000 cc BMW motorcycle, ...
The Battle of Singapore was fought from 8 to 15 February 1942 between Allied (mainly British Commonwealth) and Japanese forces. The first Japanese troops landed in Singapore via the northwestern coastline on 8 February 1942. After a week of intense fighting, the ...
Gay World was one of three amusement parks built in Singapore before World War II and around which Singapore’s nightlife revolved from the 1920s to the ’60s. The other two were New World and Great World. Gay World was a popular entertainment joint before the advent ...
Iranian twin sisters, Laleh and Ladan Bijani, were the world’s first adult Siamese twins to undergo surgical separation. The 52-hour marathon operation began on 6 July 2003 at Raffles Hospital in Singapore. However, 29-year-old twins, who were born conjoined at ...
Opened in 1923, New World Park, an amusement park, was a popular nighttime haunt in Singapore from the 1920s to the ’60s. It was the first of three renowned amusement parks known as the “Worlds”, the other two being Great World and Gay World. New World was located ...
Chin Woon Ping’s Details Cannot Body Wants was the first Singapore play to receive a Restricted (R) rating, which grants admission only to viewers at least 18 years of age. First performed at The Substation’s Guinness Theatre on 12 September 1992, it was one of ...
Officially opened on 24 December 1987 by then Second Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong, Singapore’s first satellite self-dialysis centre is located in the Toa Payoh housing estate. Called the Singapore Airlines-NKF Dialysis Centre, it was a major initiative ...
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 ...
As an island that lacks natural water resources and land for water storage facilities, Singapore is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. To overcome these limitations, the city-state employs a multipronged strategy to ensure a sustainable water ...
On 2 April 1992, the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) launched the first subscription television channel, NewsVision, in Singapore through its subsidiary, Singapore CableVision. The channel was a 24-hour news service that showed mainly news from the United ...
Published for the first time on 8 October 1835, The Singapore Free Press was Singapore’s second English-language newspaper after the Singapore Chronicle. It was founded by William Napier, George D. Coleman, Edward Boustead and Walter Scott Lorrain, and remained ...
On 19 November 2000, Singapore’s first lung transplant operation on 54-year-old Thanvanthri N. Veerappan was performed. The team of lung transplant surgeons included two directors of Singapore’s heart-lung programme, Drs S. Sivathasan and Tong Ming Chuan, as well ...
The first Singapore Grand Prix was held from 16 to 17 September 1961. It was one of a series of sporting events held in support of the government-sponsored “Visit Singapore – The Orient Year” tourism campaign. Organised by the Singapore Motor Club (SMC) with ...
The Singapore Green Plan (SGP) is Singapore's first environmental blueprint. Released in 1992 by the then Ministry of the Environment (now known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources or MEWR), its objective is to ensure that Singapore could develop ...
On 3 February 2004, Singapore Airlines (SIA) launched its first A345 LeaderShip nonstop flight service between Singapore and Los Angeles, United States. The 14,700-kilometre journey was made possible using the new, long-range Airbus aircraft, the A340-500. The ...
In 1966, Singapore celebrated its 9 August National Day for the first time. It was a week-long string of festivities that included a big parade, fireworks displays, cultural shows, and dinner parties. It was actually Singapore’s second National Day. The very first ...
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 ...
READ! Singapore is a nationwide campaign organised by the National Library Board (NLB) that aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporeans. An annual event since its inception in 2005, READ! Singapore features book discussions and related activities like ...
Established in 1949, The Singapore Art Society (SAS) is considered the first multicultural art society in Singapore. The society aims to foster the practice and appreciation of art in Singapore. SAS organises regular art exhibitions and overseas painting tours. ...
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 ...