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Wikipedia:WikiProject Singapore/Archives/2005–06

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Year 2006

[edit]
...that Central Fire Station, the oldest existing fire station in Singapore, had only four portable water pumps when it was completed in 1908?
...that the Jinricksha Station is Singapore's last reminder of the once ubiquitous rickshaw, which was phased out after World War II?
  • CHIJMES (Did You Know...mention 30 January 2006)
...that CHIJMES, a historic building complex in Singapore, began life as a Catholic convent in the 1850s and has been gazetted as national monument?
...that the July 2005 NKF scandal led to a backlash from the donors to the charity, resulting in the resignation of the board of directors?
...that the Old Ford Motor Factory, Ford's first assembly plant in Southeast Asia and built in 1941, was the site of the historic surrender of the British to the Japanese in World War II, later described by Winston Churchill as the "largest capitulation in British history"?
...that The Observatory, a Singaporean space rock band released their first album packaged as a diary, complete with torn pages and paperclipped photos?
...that Saint Jack, a 1979 fiction film about a prostitute in Singapore and the only Hollywood film about Singapore to be shot on location, was banned in the country until 2006?
...that the EMAS has been so effective in monitoring traffic conditions on Singapore's expressways that the LTA removed most SOS telephones from the expressways as a result?
...that completion of the West Coast Highway viaduct — the longest in Singapore — was delayed for more than two years because of the contractor's financial problems?
...that Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka is the oldest mosque in Singapore and was established in 1820, just a year after the British set up a trading post in Singapore?
...that a detailed Development Guide Plan exists for each of Singapore's 55 urban planning areas?
... that Yueh Hai Ching Temple is the oldest Taoist temple in Singapore, and Chinese Emperor Guang Xu presented a plaque to the temple in 1907?
...that although archaeologists in Singapore have discovered many artifacts, they do not have government support for their work, and there is no centralised place to store the artifacts?
...that the Chesed-El Synagogue, built in 1905, is the second synagogue for the Jewish community in Singapore, and was also one of the first places to use gaslights in Singapore?
....that Escape from Paradise, a book which documents a Singaporean woman's divorce, was removed from bookstores and libraries in the country in 2002, even after it had been reviewed in the Singapore press?
...that graves in Singapore are exhumed 15 years after burial, and the remains are cremated or re-buried?
...that although the Constitution of Singapore had been revised in 1958 to implement self-government for the then British colony of Singapore, self-government was only officially achieved with the Singapore general election of 1959?
  • Merdeka, (Did you know, mention 18 June 2006)
...that the Malay word Merdeka has been used in both Singapore and Malaysia to describe the campaigns for self-government and independence in both countries?
  • Ah Meng, (Did you know, mention 23 June 2006)
...that Ah Meng, a Sumatran Orangutan and tourism icon of Singapore, had breakfast with celebrities including the Duke of Edinburgh and pop star Michael Jackson?
... that Singapore's Police Coast Guard is a coast guard and water police service that is also responsible for maintenance of order on most of Singapore's off-shore islands?
...that Central Sikh Temple was Singapore's first gurdwara when it was first set up in a police barracks in the 1880s?
...that the Old Ministry of Labour Building in Singapore housed the Chinese Protectorate before World War II, and has been gazetted as a national monument?
...that the Civilian War Memorial in Singapore was built in 1967 in memory of the civilians massacred during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945?
...that the original stained glass windows of the Saint George's Church in Singapore were packed away for safekeeping before the Japanese Occupation of Singapore but were never found since?
  • Singapore 2006, (In the news, mention 14-17 September 2006; 19-22 September 2006)
...The 61st Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund commence in Singapore under strict security.
...At the 61st Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund held in Singapore, a reform of the IMF is adopted to give China and other emerging markets more voting rights.
...that the Queen Elizabeth Walk in Singapore was built on reclaimed land in 1922 and that it was renamed in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom?
...that a fountain was built by the British colonial government to commemorate Tan Kim Seng's $13,000 contribution towards Singapore's first public waterworks?
...that Pagoda Street in Chinatown, Singapore was named after the pagoda-like gopuram of Sri Mariamman Temple?
...that Hong San See, a Chinese temple and national monument in Singapore, was sited on a small hill for good fengshui and once commanded a good view of the sea?
...that Ying Fo Fui Kun is the first Hakka clan association in Singapore, and its clan house at Telok Ayer has been gazetted as a national monument in 1998?
... that Keong Saik Road in Chinatown, Singapore was formerly a red-light district in the 1960s but is now the site of many boutique hotels?
...that The Cenotaph is Singapore's first major war memorial built in memory of the people who gave their lives in World War I, and was unveiled by the young Prince Edward of Wales, later King Edward VIII?
...that Duxton Hill in Singapore used to be a notorious slum area with brothels, opium and gambling dens, but now belongs to a conservation area known as Tanjong Pagar?
...that Esplanade Park, built in 1943, is one of the oldest parks in Singapore, and has a number of historical landmarks which include the former Indian National Army Monument site and The Cenotaph?
......that Wee Siew Kim, a Singaporean MP, had to apologise after scandal broke out involving an elitist blog entry made by his daughter?
...that in 1819, Hussein Shah, the seventeenth Sultan of Johor, allowed a British settlement in Singapore in order to wrest the throne from his brother with the help of the British, leading to the Malay Peninsula's colonisation?
...that during construction of the Fort Canning Tunnel, special care was taken to minimize environmental impact on the surrounding Fort Canning Park?
...that Singapore's Museum Planning Area contains ten national monuments?
...that the Southern Islands of Singapore are being developed into a getaway for the ultra-wealthy, similar to Dubai's Palm Islands?
... that the Istana Kampong Glam is a former Malay palace in Singapore, and was refurbished into the Malay Heritage Centre in 2004?
...that Singapore Dreaming bagged Singapore its first IFFPA-recognised award at an international feature film festival?
...that the Coleman Bridge in Singapore was the second bridge built across the Singapore River, and the first built in masonry?
...that the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a national monument in Singapore, was given by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in Malaysia?
...that Pulau Senang was a penal settlement in Singapore but shut down after only three years when a riot broke out in 1963?
...that Farrer Park is where Singapore's first racecourse was built and the island's aviation history began?
...that Pulau Sejahat was a British military encampment in Singapore during World War II whose gun batteries were never used against Japanese invaders?
...that despite the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Singaporean film Money No Enough earned over S$5.8 million, and remains Singapore's all-time highest-grossing film?
  • Inuka, (Did you know, mention 31 December 2006)
...that Inuka, a polar bear who is the mascot of the Singapore Zoo, is the first and only polar bear born in the tropics?

Year 2005

[edit]
...that Chingay Parade in Singapore, a display of floats, music and dances, is a major festival in Asia attended by more than 200,000 people and watched by millions on TV across Asia?
...that more than one thousand people are caned in Singapore each year using a bamboo cane that has been soaked in water overnight to prevent splitting?
...that to prepare for future examinations, Singapore students use the ten year series to practice on past years' examination papers, some of which date back to before they were born?
...that the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force is the world's only police department outside of Nepal to be comprised of Gurkhas, and it is currently the only military or police unit in Singapore to be headed by a Briton?
...that Jurong Falls is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world at 30 metres tall and it is located at the Jurong BirdPark which also houses the world's most numerous bird collection??
...that Cavenagh Bridge, the only suspension bridge in Singapore, was originally designed as a drawbridge but on its completion in 1869 was found to be suitable only as a fixed structure, and is now a pedestrian bridge?