Newspapers have become a record of the important events and shared information of public interest. As a source of information and research, old newspapers provide a window to how people perceive the world around them.

This exhibition features a selection of newspaper articles (retrieved from NewspaperSG) on topics that has affected the daily lives of Singaporeans – Politics, Economy, Public Housing, Public Transport and National Campaigns. Read these articles to gain a better understanding of what has happened around us. This exhibition is organised by National Library of Singapore in collaboration with Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp Press Ltd.

For more programmes and exhibitions please visit http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg/

NewspaperSG is a fully searchable online archive of Singapore news. It offers users access to a host of newspaper titles, dating back to 1831. Visit us at newspapers.nl.sg.

10 & 11 April 2010, National Library Building
Islam, Trade and Culture: The Roles of the Arabs in Southeast Asia

Two centuries ago, Arab settlers travelled thousands of miles from the Arabian peninsula to Southeast Asia. They settled permanently throughout the region, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, where they played important roles in the political, economic, cultural and religious life of these countries. Today, as Singapore embraces the Middle East and the larger Arab world as one of its key trading partners, it is fitting to reflect on the influence of the Arab community of Southeast Asia. The conference is co-organised by the National Library Singapore and the National University of Singapore.

Register before 15 February 2010 to enjoy the early bird discount! Closing date is 31 March 2010. Visit http://rihlah.nl.sg for more details.

The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), stretches from Tuas to the west to Keppel at the easternmost. While officially constructed in the early 80s and completed in the late 90s, Peter Chan argues that the AYE, or at least Ayer Rajah Road should have been considered Singapore’s first expressway.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some readers may have read about the first time Queen Elizabeth II visited Singapore in 1972 (as well as a second time in 1989). On her first trip, she paid a visit to a family in Toa Payoh, at the time one of Singapore’s flagship new towns. Well it turns out that Jerome, the Wondering Wanderer, lived in the very flat and played host to the Queen! As if playing host to the Queen of England wasn’t enough, it turns out that Jerome’s family welcomed a whole host of dignitaries, including former Australian Prime Minister John Gorton and President Benjamin Sheares.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another video of Old Singapore to start your morning – set two years earlier than yesterday’s one.

Then Singapore was already described as unique. Enjoy this video.

This gem from youtube entitled HMS Centaur shows us Singapore in 1959, with many familiar names and locations – although they look totally different today!

I found the observation about streets specialising only in one kind of product (fish and lanterns) quite interesting – does anybody know where these streets were? They remind me a little of the ’36 Lanes’ in Hanoi’s Old Quarter – where historically each street specialised in selling one kind of product (some of which still persist on to today). I didn’t realise we might have had an equivalent in Singapore.

… in this case, quite literally in two senses of the word. Jerome recounts a gunfight that happened in the December of 1972 which led to deaths of two gun smugglers, the Hassan brothers at Jalan Kubor. ‘Kubor’, of course, is the Malay word for grave, and the cemetary still stands at the Kampong Glam district, beside the historic Malabar Mosque.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thomas Leonowens, Francis Light, Quintin Dick Thompson all aren’t familiar names to Singapore’s history, but they each have a small connection to our island nation via another island state up north. While walking through a cemetary in Penang, Jerome discovers their graves and shows us how they are connected to Singapore.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some answers are so simple that they can be easily forgotten. Case in point: What’s behind the name Tanglin Halt? Or rather, Why does Tangling have a Halt?

It’s not rocket science, and you can easily google it up – or you could read what Miyagi disovered here.

Saturday, 30 January 2010 | 10 am – 12 pm | Possibility Room, Level 5, National Library Building | Speakers: Kirpal Singh & Jack Tsen-Ta Lee | Organised By: National Library Singapore

Uniquely Singaporean, Singlish is the product of English mixed with a variety of multi-cultural languages that this nation has to offer. Facing the battleground from years of debate whether the use of Singlish should be allowed on a daily basis, Mad About Singlish will unveil this controversy and get Singaporeans talking in their preferred English, literally!

The programme aims to uncover the origins of Singlish and development of English usage in Singapore. It will also provide perspectives from locals supporting their arguments why they think Singlish should be allowed to be used in daily conversations and continue with a discussion on whether Singlish has its place in Singapore.

Due to limited seats, registration is required and can be made via http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg.