• Sir Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company establishes a trading post on Singapore island.

  • Singapore, Malacca, and Penang are combined to form the British colony of the Straits Settlements.  

  • Trade booms in South East Asia as a result of the opening of the Suez Canal. 

  • Singapore falls under British military rule following the defeat of Japan.  The nation becomes a separate crown colony one year later.  

  • Singapore becomes an independent republic.  

  • Singapore is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  • As the Asian financial crisis hits, Singapore slips into a recession.
  • Singapore and Japan sign a free trade agreement.  

  • Singapore becomes the first Asian nation to sign a free trade agreement with the United States.

  • The government approves a controversial plan to legalize casino gambling, paving the way for the construction of two multi-billion dollar casino resorts.

  • Singapore becomes the second country in the world after the U.S. to regulate virtual currencies such as bitcoins, in an attempt to prevent money-laundering.

Sources:

BBC News open_in_new
Britannica open_in_new