Governance
Singapore’s Hippie Hysteria and the Ban on Long Hair
Hippie culture was seen as a risk to Singaporean society in the 1960s and 1970s, and efforts made to reduce its influence eventually led to a campaign against men with long hair.
The Bumpy Ride to Making Crash Helmets Mandatory
Crash helmets might save lives but getting people to wear them was an uphill task.
Going Against the (Rice) Grain: The “Eat More Wheat” Campaign
The call for Singaporeans to switch from eating rice to eating wheat in 1967 did not take root despite best efforts by the government.
The Early Days of Family Planning in Singapore
Singapore’s family planning programme did not start with the “Stop at Two” policy in 1972, but goes back even earlier to 1949.
Flower Power: Singapore’s Orchid Diplomacy
Singapore’s diplomatic efforts may take several forms, including naming orchid hybrids after foreign dignitaries. Rebecca Tan tells us more.
The Blossoming of Tree Planting Day
Singapore has planted more than two million trees in the past 50 years. Lim Tin Seng traces the roots of Tree Planting Day.
The Sticky Problem of Opium Revenue
Diana S. Kim explains how the colonial government reduced its dependence on opium taxes.
At Gunpoint: Wiping Out Illegal Firearms in Singapore
Street shootouts and armed kidnappings used to be common. Tan Chui Hua zeroes in on how these criminals were disarmed.
Life in a Time of COVID-19
Janice Loo explains the National Library’s crowdsourcing efforts to document the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
An Archive of Singapore Websites: Preserving the Digital
Shereen Tay recounts the National Library’s efforts to archive Singapore-related websites.
Cloudy with a Slight Chance of Rain: Singapore’s Meteorological Service
Lim Tin Seng examines temperature and rainfall records in Singapore over the past 200 years.
Milestones to the Metric System
Shereen Tay traces how Singapore transitioned to the metric system in 10 short years.
Head Count: The History of Census-taking in Singapore
The very first census here was conducted in 1824. Ang Seow Leng reveals how doing a headcount has evolved over the last 200 years.
To Wreck or to Recreate: Giving New Life to Singapore’s Built Heritage
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Nearly 70 years have passed since a committee was set up to look into the preservation of buildings and sites with historical value. Lim Tin Seng charts the journey.
“I Hasten to Beg Your Indulgence…”: When Declassifying Can Also Mean Decoding
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When the National Archives embarked on the declassification initiative to unlock documents previously labelled as “secret” and “confidential” for public access, it also had to decipher what was actually written, says K.U. Menon.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Shashi Jayakumar examines the role of the National Archives as the official custodian of government records and the people’s collective memory.
Encountering Evidence in the Archives (In Many Ways and of Many Things)
Who would have thought that obscure rainfall records from the 1960s would have a bearing on a landmark case before the International Court of Justice? Eric Chin explains the value of archival records in preserving and presenting evidence.
The Way We Were: The MITA Collection 1949–1969
Photographs can capture subtext that is sometimes more evocative than the intended subject, as Gretchen Liu discovered when she explored the early work of the Photo Unit.
Stories of the Little People
Oral history is often considered as “little” – personal accounts of humble folk, as opposed to “big” or written history on serious topics. But “little” does not mean negligible or inferior, says Cheong Suk-Wai.
Feeding the Hungry: Children in Post-War Singapore
In the aftermath of the Japanese Occupation, the colonial government set up feeding centres to address malnutrition among children in Singapore. Cheryl-Ann Low has the details.