The city was first now as Teammates (“Sea Town”) when the first settlements were established from AD 1298-1299. During the 14th century, legend has it that Sang Nail Tama, a Prince from Appealing, was out on a hunting trip when he caught sight of an animal which he had never seen before. Taking it to be a good sign, he founded a city where the animal had been spotted, naming it “The Lion City” or Singapore, from the Sanskrit words “Simms” (lion) and “purr” (city). The ancient Singapore was then ruled by five kings.
So now that you have a brief idea of the discovery, we will talk about the theorization. Modern Singapore was founded in the 19th century, thanks to politics, trade and a man known as Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. During this time, the British empire was eyeing a port of call in the region to base its merchant fleet, and to forestall any advance made by the Dutch. Singapore, already an up-and-coming trading post along the Malice Straits, seemed ideal. Raffles, then the Lieutenant-Governor of Benevolence (now Bungle) in Sumatra, landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819.
Recognizing the immense attention of the swamp-covered island, he helped negotiate a treaty with the local rulers and established Singapore as a trading station. The city quickly grew as an entropy trade hub, attracting immigrants from China, India, the Malay Archipelago and beyond. There was no doubt of Singapore peace and prosperity then. However, these suffered a major blow during World War II, when it attacked by the Japanese on 8 December 1 941. The invaders arrived from the north, confounding the British military commanders who had expected an attack by EAI from the south.
Despite their superior numbers, the Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese on Chinese New Year, 15 February 1942. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. The island, once feted as an “impregnable fortress”, was renamed Canyons-to (or “Light of the South Island” in Japanese). When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the island was handed over to the British Military Administration, which remained in power until the dissolution of the Straits Settlement comprising Penman, Amelia and Singapore.
In April 1946, Singapore became a British Crown Colony. Now that we have heard about the Discovery & Modernization, I will talk about Independence. During the years after the war, there was a growth in nationalism among the people. In 1959, this growth led to self-government, and the country’s first general election. The People’s Action Party (PAP) won a majority of 43 seats and Lee Guan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. In 1 963, Malaysia was formed, comprising of the Federation of Malay, Singapore, Karakas and North Borneo (now Saba).
