Timeline of Singaporean history

This is a timeline of Singaporean history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Singapore and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Singapore. See also the list of years in Singapore.

13th century

Year	Date	Event
1300		The port of Temasek is founded by Sang Nila Utama, a prince of Srivijaya.

14th century

Year	Date	Event
1320		The Mongol court sends a mission to obtain elephants from Long Ya Men (or Dragon's Tooth Strait), believed to be Keppel Harbour.
1330		The Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan visits Temasek.
1390		Parameswara, the last Srivijayan prince, flees to Temasek.

15th century

Year	Date	Event
1414		Temasek becomes part of the Sultanate of Malacca established by Parameswara.

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1511		Temasek becomes part of Sultanate of Johor after Malacca fell to the Portuguese.

17th century

Year	Date	Event
1613		Portuguese burn down a trading outpost at the mouth of Singapore River.

19th century

Year	Date	Event
1819	29 January	Stamford Raffles arrives in Singapore with William Farquhar to establish a trading post for the British East India Company.
	8 February	The treaty is signed between Sultan Hussein of Johor, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Stamford Raffles. Farquhar is installed as the first Resident of the settlement.
1821		Singapore General Hospital is established.
1822		Raffles drafts the Raffles Plan of Singapore to reorganise the island.
1823		Dr John Crawfurd takes over as Resident.
	5 June	Raffles Institution is founded by Stamford Raffles.
1826		Singapore becomes part of the British colony of Straits Settlements under the rule of the East India Company, together with Malacca and Penang.
1830		Singapore comes under the Presidency of Bengal in India.
1832		Singapore becomes the centre of government of the Straits Settlements.
1842		St. Margaret's Girls School is founded by Maria Tarn Dyer, the first and oldest all-girls school in Singapore
1843		Thomas Dunman, the first full-time police chief of Singapore, improves the police force as well as the pay and working hours of policemen.
1844		The Tan Tock Seng Hospital begins operation.
	4 March	Raffles Girls' School is established.
1845		The Straits Times is established.
1852		A new deep harbour called New Harbour, later known as Keppel Harbour, is built. St Joseph's Institution [as St John's Institution] established.
1858		Singapore is placed under the hierarchy of the Government of India, remaining as part of the Straits Settlements.
		Commercial Square is renamed Raffles Place.
1859		The Singapore Botanic Gardens is founded.
1862	8 September	Saint Andrews School is founded.
1867	1 April	Straits Settlements become a crown colony of British Empire.
1869		The Suez Canal opens, and Singapore enjoys the increase in trade
1877		The Chinese Protectorate is set up, and William Pickering becomes the head of it.
1885		Gan Eng Seng School was established at Telok Ayer Street
1886		Anglo-Chinese School established.
1887		Methodist Girls' School established.
		The Raffles Hotel is built.
1888		Henry Ridley becomes the director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
		The Singapore Fire Brigade was formed.
1892		The Tanjong Pagar Police Station opens, and many Sikh policemen are recruited. Holy Innocents' High School established.
1899		Singapore Chinese Girls' School established.

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1906		The Nanyang branch of Tongmenghui is set up in Singapore.
		Tao Nan School established by the Hokkien Huay Kuan.
1912		The Singapore Harbor board is set up.
1915	15 February	The Singapore Mutiny occurred as British Muslim Indian sepoys rose up against the British. (to 25 February)
1917		Nanyang Girls' High School was established by Tan Chor Nam, partially due to Dr Sun Yat Sen's belief in education for girls.
1919		The Chinese High School established by Tan Kah Kee.
1923		Singapore starts constructing the main British naval base in East Asia.
1932		Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is opened.
1935		Catholic High School, the first bicultural and bilingual school in Singapore, was founded.
1937	12 June	Kallang Airport is opened.
1939		Singapore completes the main British naval base, which is the largest drydock and third largest floating dock in the world.
1939		Chung Cheng High School (Main) was established.
1941	7 December	In an extensive three-pronged attack, Japan opens hostilities with the Allies and their colonies. First air raid on Singapore at 4:15 am. The Imperial Japanese Army invades Malaya. (to 8 December)
	10 December	The British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse are sunk by Japanese bombers.
	16 December	Second air raid on Singapore, at night. Only RAF Tengah is attacked.
	25 December	A lone Japanese aircraft drops propaganda pamphlets on Singapore Island.
	29 December	Second Japanese air raid on Singapore City (and third on the island), at night. Nightly raids commence.
	30 December	The Overseas Chinese Mobilization Council is set up in Singapore, led by Tan Kah Kee.
1942	12 January	First major daylight air raid on Singapore. Henceforth, the island is bombed everyday up to the British surrender (with the exception of 19 January).
	31 January	Malaya falls to the Japanese and the Causeway is blown up to delay Japan's advancement to Singapore.
	February	The Japanese military police, the Kempei Tai kills an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 people during Sook Ching Massacre. (to March)
	1 February	The siege of Singapore begins. The Japanese in Johor Bahru begin shelling the island daily in addition to daily aerial bombing.
	8 February	The Japanese cross the Strait of Johor by inflatable boats and land in Singapore during the Battle of Singapore.
	11 February	The Japanese and Allied soldiers fight fiercely at Bukit Timah.
	13 February	The Malay regiment, led by Lt. Adnan bin Saidi, fight bravely against the Japanese at Pasir Panjang Ridge in the Battle of Pasir Panjang.
	14 February	The Japanese have captured most of Singapore, and most of the population is crammed into the city centre.
	15 February	The British surrenders and the Japanese Occupation of Singapore starts. Singapore is renamed Syonan (Light of the South).
1943	27 September	Operation Jaywick occurs. Seven Japanese ships are bombed at Clifford Pier.
	10 October	The Japanese initiate the Double Tenth Incident in response to Operation Jaywick, by launching a fierce crackdown on anti-Japanese elements and Allied prisoners-of-war in Singapore.
1944	27 March	Lim Bo Seng is captured by the Japanese, and dies after 3 months of torture.
1945	14 August	Japan surrenders, and there is anomie and looting for nearly a month when the British do not return immediately.
	5 September	The British return to Singapore after the end of World War II and begin a military administration of the Straits Settlements.
1946	1 April	The Straits Settlements is dissolved and Singapore becomes a separate crown colony.
1947		A large number of strikes occur causing stoppages in public transport, public services and the harbour.
	May	Severe food shortage leads to record-low rice ration, causing malnutrition, disease and outbreak of crime and violence.
1948		Rubber plantations and tin mines in Malaya are destroyed by communists, and the British declares the state of Emergency over Singapore and Malaya.
	20 March	Singapore's first limited election is held, with 6 seats in the Legislative Council. The Singapore Progressive Party wins 3 seats.
	18 June	Malayan Emergency begins, Singapore declared a State of Emergency a week later.
1949		The University of Malaya is formed following the merger of Raffles College and King Edward Medical College.
1950	11 December	18 people are killed during the Maria Hertogh riots. (to 13 December)
1951		The number of elected seats is increased to 9 in the second election.
1953		Rendel Commission is appointed to make recommendations for Singapore's self-government.
1954	May	Chinese school students demonstrate against the British due to the National Service proposal. See Anti-National Service Riots
1955	2 April	The Labour Front wins the most seats in election and David Saul Marshall becomes the first Chief Minister of Singapore.
	12 May	Four people are killed during the Hock Lee bus riots.
1956		River Valley High School, Singapore (formally known as Singapore Government Chinese Middle School), became the first Chinese secondary school established by the government.
	June	David Saul Marshall appeals to the United Kingdom for full self-government, but resigns when he fails. Lim Yew Hock takes over as Chief Minister.
	October	Riots by pro-communist Chinese school students occur when government closes down a student union.
1957		Cedar Girls Secondary School was founded.
1959		Encik Yusof bin Ishak becomes the Head of State of Singapore.
	March	Lim Yew Hock successfully gains full self-government for Singapore.
	May	People's Action Party (PAP) wins the General Election and Lee Kuan Yew becomes the first Prime Minister.
	3 June	A celebration is held at the Padang for Singapore gaining full self-government.
	3 December	The national anthem Majulah Singapura, written by Zubir Said, is presented.
1960		The Housing and Development Board is set up.
1961	25 May	The Bukit Ho Swee Fire kills four people and destroys 2,200 attap houses.
	27 May	Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaya, proposes a merger between Singapore, Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.
1962	1 September	A referendum is held in Singapore to vote on merger with Malaysia.
1963	February	During Operation Coldstore, 107 left-wing politicians and trade unionists are arrested by Internal Security Department
	9 July	The Malaysia Agreement is signed between leaders of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak.
	31 August	In this Malaysia Solidarity Day, Lee Kuan Yew declares de-facto Independence for Singapore.
	16 September	Malaysia is formed. Indonesia carries out its konfrontasi campaign.
	21 September	The PAP wins the 1963 State Elections, defeating the Barisan Sosialis and UMNO.
1964		The PAP wins one seat in the Malaysian Federal Election. UMNO is outraged.
	21 July	There is an ethnic riot between various Malays and Chinese, on Prophet Muhammad's birthday, 23 people are killed.
1965	10 March	Indonesian saboteurs carry out the MacDonald House bombing, killing three people.
	May	Lee Kuan Yew begins campaigning for a Malaysian Malaysia
	7 August	Singapore and Malaysia sign the separation agreement.
	9 August	The Malaysian Parliament votes to expel Singapore from the Federation; Singapore becomes independent after separating from Malaysia.
	21 September	Singapore is admitted into the United Nations as the 117th member.
	October	Singapore becomes the 22nd member of the Commonwealth.
	22 December	Constitutional Amendment Act is passed and Yusof bin Ishak becomes the first President of Singapore.
1966	21 May	Suharto resigned and as a result the Konfrontasi stopped.
1967		The Civilian Memorial is unveiled at the Kranji War Cemetery
	14 March	The National Service bill is passed in the parliament.
	28 March	Registrations for national service begins at the Central Manpower Base.
	12 June	The issue of the first Singapore Dollar.
	July	The first batch of the army is drafted for national service.
	8 August	Singapore is the founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
1968	January	Britain announces its intention to withdraw its armed forces from Singapore.
	April	The PAP wins all seats in the 1968 General Election, which is boycotted by Barisan Sosialis.
1969	31 May	The 1969 Race Riots of Singapore broke out after growing tension of the 13 May Incident in Malaysia spilled over to Singapore.
1970	May	The National Junior College, Singapore's first junior college opens.
1971	2 January	Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares becomes the second President of Singapore.
	31 October	The last British military forces withdraws from Singapore.
1972		The Singapore Airlines is formed.
	2 September	The PAP wins the 1972 General Election.
1973		The first Chingay Parade is held in Singapore.
		The construction of the National Stadium is completed.
		The Presidential Council for Minority Rights is set up to ensure minority would not be discriminated.
1974		Hwa Chong Junior College, Singapore's first government-aided junior college was established.
	31 January	Laju incident: Japanese Red Army bombs petroleum tanks at Pulau Bukom and hijacks a ferry boat.
1976		The PAP wins all 69 seats in the 1976 General Election.
1978	12 October	Spyros disaster
1979		Singapore becomes the world's second busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage.
1980		The PAP wins all 75 seats in the 1980 General Election.
1981	1 July	Singapore Changi Airport starts operation.
	24 October	C V Devan Nair becomes the third President of Singapore.
	31 October	Workers' Party of Singapore's Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam elected into Parliament, breaking a 16 years PAP monopoly of the House.
1982		The Courtesy Campaign and the Civil Defence Programme are launched.
1983	29 January	Eniwetok, a Panamanian-registered oil rig, hits the Singapore Cable Car system, sending two cabins plunging into the sea and killing seven people.
1984		The PAP wins the 1984 General Election while two members of the opposition parties are elected as members of parliament. Three PAP women MPs are also elected, ending a 16 years absence of women representation in Parliament.
		Non-Constituency Member of Parliament was introduced.
1985	2 September	Wee Kim Wee becomes the fourth President of Singapore.
		Singapore went into its first ever recession which was induced by government policies.
1986	15 March	The Hotel New World collapses, killing 33 people.
1987	21 May	16 people were arrested during Operation Spectrum and detained under the Internal Security Act. Another six were arrested on 20 June.
1988	3 September	The PAP wins the 1988 General Election and group representation constituencies (GRC)s are introduced.
1990	6 July	The East West Line of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is completed.
	22 November	Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 begins operation.
	28 November	Goh Chok Tong becomes the second Prime Minister of Singapore.
1991	26 March	Four Pakistanis hijack Singapore Airlines Flight 117 and demand the release of Pakistan Peoples Party members from Pakistani jails.
	27 March	Members of the Singapore Special Operations Force storm into Singapore Airlines Flight 117, killing all hijackers and freeing all passengers and crew members.
	31 August	General elections are held. The result is a victory for the PAP, which wins 77 out of 81 seats.
1993	1 September	Ong Teng Cheong becomes the first directly-elected President.
1994	5 May	American teenager Michael P. Fay is convicted and caned for vandalism.
1996		The parliament passes the Maintenance of Parents law, a private member's bill introduced by Nominated Member of Parliament Woon Cheong Ming Walter.
1997	2 January	PAP led by Goh Chok Tong wins a total of 81 out of 83 seats in the 1997 general election.
	19 December	Silkair Flight 185 crashes into Musi River near Palembang, Sumatra, killing all 104 people on board.
1998	15 January	Singapore and United States announces agreement for US ships to use a planned $35 million naval base from 2000.
	September	"The Singapore Story", the first volume of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs is published
1999		Sellapan Ramanathan becomes the President of Singapore
		Singapore slips into recession during the Asian financial crisis.
2000	1 September	Speaker's Corner is launched at Hong Lim Park
	31 October	Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes during take-off in Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, killing 83 people.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2001		Economic recession in Singapore. (to 2003)
	January	A pipeline feeding gas to Singapore from Indonesia's Natuna field in South China Sea opens.
	3 November	The PAP wins 82 of 84 seats in the 2001 General Election.
	9 December	15 suspected militants of Jemaah Islamiah are arrested for alleged bomb plot.
	27 December	Typhoon Vamei, a rare typhoon that occurs only once in 100 to 400 years, hits Singapore.
2002	13 January	Singapore and Japan sign the Japan-Singapore Economic Agreement.
2003	April	SARS virus outbreak in Singapore and other parts of Asia.
	6 May	Singapore and United States sign the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USS-FTA).
	29 October	A major research center Biopolis opens.
2004		National Service was reduced from two and half years to two years.
	20 April	A section of Nicoll Highway collapses, killing 4 people.
	12 August	Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's Son becomes the third Prime Minister.
2005	15 January	Singapore and Malaysia settle dispute over land reclamation work.
	18 April	The government approves the plan to legalise casino-gambling and build two Integrated Resorts.
	8 July	In the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 – London bombings, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong announces plan to set up a new Police MRT Unit to enhance the security of Singapore's public transport. (CNA)
	17 August	S R Nathan returns for his second term as President, following a walkover in the Singapore presidential election, 2005.
	27 August	White Elephant Incident at Buangkok MRT Station.
2006	6 May	The PAP, led by Lee Hsien Loong, wins 82 of 84 seats in the General Election.
2008	9 January	Singapore Changi Airport opens its third passenger terminal.
	21 February	The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awards the Youth Olympic Games hosting rights to Singapore ahead of Moscow by a vote of 53 to 44.
	21 March	Jemiah Islamiah terrorist head Mas Selamat bin Kastari escapes from prison.
	September	Singapore slips into recession due to the global financial crisis. World economies hit badly; banks around the world collapse.
	16 October	Singapore government guarantees all local and foreign currency fixed deposits with a $ 150 billion pool for that in view of the financial crisis, joining governments around the world in doing so.
2011	7 May	PAP loses its grip on Aljunied Group Representation Constituency to the Workers' Party in the General Election. This is the first time an opposition party has captured a GRC since the inception of this scheme in 1988.
	27 August	Singaporeans, for the first time since the establishment of Presidential Election, will be voting for the next President after the 6th President of Singapore - SR Nathan stepped down on 31 August 2011. The candidates involves in this election includes - Dr Tan Keng Yam Tony, Mr Tan Jee Say, Mr Tan Kin Lian and Dr. Tan Cheng Bock.
	1 September	Dr Tan Keng Yam Tony is sworn as the seventh President of Singapore.
2013	16 February	More than 3000 Singaporeans gathered at the Speakers' Corner, Singapore at Hong Lim Park for a non-partisan protest against the government's Population White Paper which projected a possible 6.9 million people in Singapore by 2030.
	24 June	Haze in Singapore reaches 401 PSI, the worst in Singapore history.