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1182 articles
3 April 2026
The Italian Merchant and Lexicographer Who Once Owned Pulau Bukom
Topics
People
Giovanni Gaggino came to Singapore around 1874 and lived here for more than 40 years. During that time, he set up a successful business providing supplies to vessels passing through Singapore, he wrote an Italian-Malay dictionary and once owned the Pulau Bukom. Writer Alex Foo tells us about the life of Gaggino and his legacy.
Podcast
25 March 2026
Singapore’s Early Japanese Community on a Rare Map
Topics
History
A rare Japanese-English street map of Singapore tells the forgotten stories of the early Japanese community who left their mark here in the early 20th century.
Article
24 March 2026
No Mere Interlude: The University of Malaya in Singapore
Topics
Organisations
The University of Malaya in Singapore was a crucible for a new nation.
Article
23 March 2026
Rodolfo Nolli: The Quiet Sculptor Who Shaped a City
Topics
People
Between the 1920s and 1950s, this Italian craftsman created a number of significant sculptural works that are still seen in Singapore today.
Article
18 March 2026
P. Ramlee: The Singapore Years
Topics
People
The formative years of the legendary singer, actor and filmmaker P. Ramlee unfolded in Singapore, a city he not only helped to enliven through his presence and artistry but also captured with enduring vividness in his songs and films.
Article
6 March 2026
Changing Times: Time Zone Changes in Singapore since 1905
Topics
History
Singapore's time zone has been changed at least seven times since 1905, including during the Japanese Occupation when it was synchronised to Tokyo time. Arts librarian Kenneth Tay explains the historical context for the time zone changes, the origins of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) system, and ways to measure time, including a rare atomic clock in a local laboratory.
Podcast
4 March 2026
Toa Payoh Library, the Second Branch Library
Topics
History
A beloved landmark in Toa Payoh Central, Toa Payoh Library is the second permanent branch library that opened in 1974 after the first was opened in Queenstown in 1970. In the last five decades, the library has developed to keep pace with the changing needs of the residents of Toa Payoh.
Video
27 February 2026
Got Milk? The School Milk Scheme in Singapore
Topics
History
In the 1970s and 1980s, primary school children were encouraged to drink milk in school. By the late 1980s, this initiative had curdled.
Article
27 February 2026
The Architect of Separation
Topics
History
Rather than being unilaterally kicked out in 1965, the decision that Singapore should separate from Malaysia was a mutual one, driven in large part by the efforts of Singapore’s Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee.
Article
6 February 2026
The First Local to Head the National Library: Hedwig Anuar
Topics
People
Hedwig Anuar was the first Malayan to head the National Library, a position she held for 23 years until 1988. She was also involved in the setting up the Singapore Book Council, National Archives of Singapore and Association of Women for Action and Research. Her daughter, Shirin Aroozoo, tells us about Anuar as a mother and a person, and about how her convictions about books, children's education and women empowerment were shaped by her upbringing and life events.
Podcast