Singapore History Trivia

1. What was Singapore originally known as?

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Temasek

Temasek or "Sea Town" was mentioned in the Javanese Nagarakretagama of 1365. A third century Chinese account described Singapore as Pu-luo-cheng or the "island at the end of a peninsula".

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: 1819

When Raffles landed on the shores of Singapore (or Temasek as it was known then), it was a pretty much uninhabited island. The treaty, signed with Tengku Hussein, allowed the British to set up a port and trading post in Singapore.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Sang Nila Utama

Sang Nila Utama landed on the island after a storm and renamed it after spotting an auspicious beast identified as a lion. "Singa" means "lion" and "pura" means "city" in Malay. Hayam Wuruk was a ruler of the Majapahit empire. Iskanda Shah was a prince of Palembang. Srivijaya was an ancient Sumatran kingdom.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: Anglo-Dutch Treaty

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 ceded Singapore to the British, and established two spheres of control in the Malay Archipelago, one Dutch, the other British.

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: The British

Singapore was still very much an important port of call as a British colony, and it became more apparent that it must be defended when the First World War came. The construction of the Singapore Naval Base enabled The Singapore Strategy, a heavy naval and land defence of Singapore and the Straits of Johor, and it held till January 1942, in the midst of World War 2.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Iskanda Shah

Adityawarman was a Majapahit prince who was given the responsibility of ruling island of Sumatra. Radan Wijaya was the first Majapahit king. Temagi was the murdered chieftain.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: Malacca and Penang

The British formed the Straits Settlements in 1826. Initially, it was part of British India but in 1867, the Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony, ruled by a governor.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Sir Stamford Raffles

Raffles signed a treaty with the Sultan of Johor on behalf of the British East India Company to establish a trading colony. Francis Light was the founder of the British colony of Penang. William Farquhar and John Crawford were, respectively, the First and Second Resident of Singapore.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: 1942

Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, 8 days after Japanese troops set foot upon the island. The period of Japanese rule was known as the "Japanese Occupation".

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: The atomic bombs

The destructive force of 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man', the two atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, changed the the war, and Japan surrendered after the catastrophic destruction of the two cities. The British would take Singapore back in their power, but the locals had other things in mind, namely independence.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: The Straits Settlements

The Federated Malay States were protectorates composed of native princely states. The Malayan Union was a confederation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements excluding Singapore formed by the British in 1946.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: Syonan-to

Syonan-to, loosely translated, means "Light of the South".

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: India

Control of Singapore was transferred to the Colonial Office in 1867.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: 1945

The Japanese Occupation ended following the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This resulted in the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew changed the landscape of Singapore forever. He was bold, 'in your face' and well versed in many languages, and his leadership propelled Singapore forward, first by aligning with Malaya as one nation called Malaysia, in a bid to tackle Singapore's greatest problem, a lack of natural resources. But after a year, political and ideological strife between Singapore and Malaysia hit major highs, and on August 9 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, and the island had become an independent nation. This date would be celebrated every year as Singapore's National Day.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: 1942

When the Imperial Japanese Army invaded, the ill-prepared British were defeated in 6 days and surrendered the island to General Tomoyuki Yamashita on Febuary 15, 1942. It was one of the most disastrous British defeats in World War II.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: David Marshall

David Marshall became the first Chief Minister of Singapore after it was granted partial internal self-governance in 1955. He later stepped down when negotiations for complete self-rule with the British government fell through.

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: Hanging

Although in recent times fewer executions have taken place the legislation is still enforced, though now the judges have some discretion. Any executions usually take place at dawn on a Friday at Changi Prison.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: The Battle of Singapore

The Battle of Bukit Timah and Pasir Panjang occured before the Battle of Singapore. The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between British Commonwealth forces and the Japanese Imperial Army from December 8, 1941 to January 31, 1942.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: By referendum with majority of votes in favour of merger

There was much conflict over the issue of merger. The right-wing members of the ruling party People's Action Party were in favour of it and the left-wing (or pro-Communist) members opposed it, fearing that the anti-Communist Malayan government would cause them to lose their power.

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: Goh Chok Tong

Goh Chok Tong continued PM Lee's vision of Singapore's growth, focusing on entrepreneurial growth and business rather than natural resources. But the 90s saw rough patches, with the 1997 Asian Stock Market Crash hitting the nation hard. Eventually, they bounced back, and PM Goh would eventually become Senior Minister before retiring in 2011.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: The Constitutional Conference

Although it received full internal self-government, responsibility for external affairs and defence, and the ultimate right to suspend the Constitution lay in the hands of the United Kingdom government. I made up the rest of the answers.

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: 'Konfrontasi' by Indonesia and racial riots

Indonesia had opposed the merger, as it feared that the merged Federation of Malaysia would cause it to lose economically. Thus, it launched various bomb attacks in Singapore. Meanwhile, unequal treatment of the different races led to racial tension and ultimately to riots.

From Quiz The Living Singapore

Answer: The death of Lee Kuan Yew

On 23rd March 2015, six months shy of Singapore's 50th birthday, Lee Kuan Yew passed away from pneumonia, at age 91. The nation mourned for days, with the Prime Minister and his son Lee Hsien Loong leading the procession. Many dignitaries came to pay respects to Mr. Lee, from former US President Bill Clinton, to the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. His life saw the birth of a new nation, this Lion City that grew to a 'Bright Red Dot.'

From Quiz History of Singapore

Answer: August 1965

Singapore officially became a republic on 9 August 1965, after separation from the rest of the Federation of Malaysia. Yusof Ishak became the first President, and Lee Kuan Yew the first Prime Minister.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: 1965

August 9th to be exact. With the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Singapore became independent within the Federation of Malaysia. She was expelled two years later after heated ideological conflict between the state PAP (People's Action Party) and the Federal Kuala Lumpur government.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Yusof bin Ishak

Sheares was the second president; Nair the third and Wee the fourth. Prior to 1991, the president was the constitutional head of state, with duties similar to that of the British Monarch. The first directly elected President was Ong Teng Cheong.

From Quiz Singapore - History

Answer: Lee Kwan Yew

He served from 1959-1990. Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee. Lee Hsien Loong, eldest son of Lee Kwan Yew, became the third prime minister in 2004.

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