Events in Singaporean History
Raffles Arrives in Singapore
1819-01-28 British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore
- 1819-02-06 Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port
- 1867-04-01 Singapore, Penang & Malacca become British crown colonies
- 1886-03-01 The Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore is founded by Bishop William Oldham.
- 1941-12-06 Dutch & British pilots see Japanese invasion fleet at Singapore
- 1941-12-10 British battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse (Force Z) sunk following Japanese aerial attacks off Malaya. 840 men die
- 1942-02-08 Japanese armored barges cross Strait of Johore to attack Singapore (WWII)
- 1942-02-14 World War II: Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
- 1942-02-15 World War II: British ruled Singapore surrenders to the Japanese
- 1954-05-13 Chinese Middle School students in Singapore take part in anti-National Service riots
People's Action Party
1954-11-12 Lee Kuan Yew and others form the People's Action Party (PAP) in Singapore to work towards self-rule in Singapore
- 1956-06-06 David Marshall, Singapore's first Chief Minister, resigns.
- 1956-06-07 Singapore government of Marshall resigns
- 1956-06-08 Lim Yem Hock forms Singapore government
- 1957-04-11 Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule
- 1959-06-03 Singapore adopts constitution
- 1959-06-05 The first independent government of the State of Singapore is sworn in with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister
Federation of Malaysia
1963-09-16 Federation of Malaysia formed by Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak
- 1964-07-21 Race riots in Singapore between Chinese and Malay groups, 23 killed, 454 injured
- 1964-08-25 Singapore limits imports from Netherlands due to Indonesian aggression
- 1964-09-03 2nd incident that year of race riots in Singapore between Chinese and Malay, 13 people killed, 106 injured
- 1965-08-07 Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore signs a separation agreement with Malaysia, after 2 years of political union
Singapore Leaves Malaysia
1965-08-09 Singapore separates from the Federation of Malaysia and gains its independence
- 1965-09-21 Singapore admitted as part of the United Nations.
- 1967-08-08 Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand meet to form Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- 1970-01-09 Constitution of Singapore enacted
- 1971-01-23 Britain allowed to sell arms to South Africa, after Commonwealth Conference in Singapore ends in compromise
- 1990-11-28 Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew resigns, ending his term as Singapore's longest-serving Prime Minister
- 1993-08-28 Singapore vice-premier Teng Cheong elected president
- 1995-02-26 London finance house Barings collapses after huge losses in Singapore by rogue trader Nick Leeson
Cricket Record
1996-04-02 Sri Lankan cricket batsman Sanath Jayasuriya hits century in 48 balls (134 off 65), in 34 run win over Pakistan in Singapore; world ODI record
- 1996-04-07 Pakistan beats Sri Lanka to win Cricket's Singer Cup in Singapore
- 1996-04-07 Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya hits fastest ODI fifty off 17 balls v Pakistan, Singapore
- 2000-10-31 A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 operating as Flight 006 collides with construction equipment upon takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan killing 79 passengers and four crew members
- 2004-03-12 Music work "I La Galigo" by Richard Wilson debuts in Singapore, based on Bugis creation myth from South Sulawesi (world's most voluminous literary work)
Event of Interest
2004-08-12 Lee Hsien Loong succeeds Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister of Singapore
- 2005-12-02 Van Tuong Nguyen is executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
- 2007-10-25 The first Airbus A380 passenger flight, operating for Singapore Airlines, with flight number SQ 380, flying scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney, Australia.
- 2008-05-23 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
- 2008-08-17 China wins its 33rd gold medal of the Beijing Olympics by beating Singapore in the table tennis women's team event; most successful Olympiad ever for China; wins all 10 singles and all 5 doubles matches
- 2008-10-10 Singapore becomes the first Asian country to slip into a recession since the credit crisis began: growth has faltered as a result of less demand for exports, a reduction in tourism, and the end of the real-estate boom
- 2009-07-14 Singapore experiences a seasonally adjusted and annualised growth of 20.4% in the second quarter as a result of increased pharmaceuticals production and construction, bringing the country out of the recession
Marina Bay Sands Opens
2010-06-23 Marina Bay Sands casino resort owned by Las Vegas sands officially opens in Singapore, with an infinity pool on the world's largest cantilevered platform
- 2010-08-14 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games opens in Singapore
Sports History
2014-10-26 American tennis star Serena Williams beats Simona Halep of Romania 6–3, 6–0 to successfully defend her WTA Finals title in Kallang, Singapore
- 2015-07-04 Unesco grants World Heritage Status to vineyards in Champagne, France along with Singapore's Botanical Gardens, Diyarbakir Fortress (Turkey) and Maymand Caves (Iran)
- 2015-09-25 Singapore closes schools due to hazardous levels of air pollution from fires in Indonesia
Sports History
2015-10-30 Polish tennis star Agnieszka Radwańska wins the WTA Finals title at Kallang. Singapore; beats Czech Petra Kvitová 6–2, 4–6, 6–3
Olympic Gold
2016-08-12 Joseph Schooling of Singapore sets Olympic record 50.39 to win men's 100m butterfly gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; rare 3-way tie for silver at 51.14, Michael Phelps (USA), Chad le Clos (South Africa) & László Cseh (Hungary)
Sports History
2016-10-30 Slovak tennis star Dominika Cibulková beats Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals title decider in Kallang, Singapore
- 2017-08-21 Destroyer USS John S McCain collides with an oil tanker near Singapore leaving 10 missing and 5 injured
Sports History
2017-10-29 Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki beats American Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals title decider in Kallang, Singapore
Donald Trump Meets Kim Jong-Un
2018-06-12 Singapore Summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump - first time a North Korean leader and an incumbent US President have ever met
- 2018-10-11 World's new longest flight flies from Singapore to Newark Airport, New Jersey takes 17 hours 52 mins
- 2018-10-28 Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina registers biggest win of her career when she rallies for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph over American Sloane Stephens in a classic WTA Finals title decider in Singapore
- 2019-04-08 14 tons of black market Pangolin scales from 36,000 animals discovered in Singapore, one of largest ever found worldwide
- 2019-05-08 Singapore passes sweeping "anti-fake news" laws bill
- 2019-06-25 Mirazur on the French Riviera crowned the world's best restaurant at ceremony in Singapore
- 2020-09-25 Singapore announces it will be the first country in the world to use facial verification as part of its national identity scheme
- 2020-10-22 Goldman Sachs agrees to pay record $3 billion to end probe into its role in 1MDB corruption scandal to regulators in the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
- 2021-02-15 UK is the first European country to require travellers from COVID-19 'hotspots' to isolate in quarantine hotels, following other countries such as Australia, NZ and Singapore
Kamala Harris Visits South East Asia
2021-08-22 US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Singapore to begin a short visit to South East Asia
- 2021-12-01 Tel Aviv named the world's most expensive city for the first time ahead of Singapore and Paris, with Damascus the cheapest [1]
- 2022-11-29 Singapore's parliament repeals British-era Section 377A decriminalising gay sex, but introduces amendments to protect current definition of marriage [1]
- 2023-03-10 Researchers in Singapore name newly discovered cockroach after the Pokemon character Pheromosa (Nocticola pheromosa) [1]
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Kuan Yew