OG Moments Only: 60 Singapore Firsts To Celebrate Singapore’s Diamond Jubilee
From a humble fishing village to a high-tech metropolis, Singapore’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. And behind every skyline-defining building, every cultural milestone, every medal-winning moment – there’s always a “first” that sparked the way forward.
Being first doesn’t always mean being the flashiest or loudest. Sometimes, it’s just about being ahead of the curve - starting something new and quietly setting the stage for what comes after.
Over the past 60 years (and even before that), Singapore has been doing exactly that. We’ve had a long history of breaking ground, trying things no one else in the region had, and doing things our way. And while we don’t always shout about it, we thought it was about time we rounded up some of the moments where we quietly (or not so quietly) led the way.
To celebrate the Lion City’s 60th birthday, we look back at 60 proud moments of ingenuity, grit and growth, from the first to win the first-ever Asian Games gold medal in 1951 to first in the world to fly the Airbus 380 in 2007.
🇸🇬 Nation-Building
Singapore General Hospital's Bowyer Block's central section is the only remaining part of the original 1926 building. | IMAGE: NG KAI
1. 1821 – First hospital
Singapore General Hospital was once just a wooden shed in the British cantonment located near present-day Bras Basah Road and Stamford Road. It was rebuilt four times over the next 40 years before being situated at Sepoy Lines in 1882. It was officially reopened as Singapore General Hospital on 29 Mar 1926 by Sir Laurence N Guillemard, then-Governor of the Straits Settlements.
2. 1822 – First market
The first market was literally a fish market on what's now Market Street. It was rebuilt in 1834, then later demolished because of land reclamation. It was replaced by the now popular tourist attraction Lau Pa Sat, a National Monument.
3. 1891 – First fire station
Cross Street Fire Station was the first purpose-built fire station, opened in January 1891. It served as the main fire station for Singapore until the Central Fire Station was completed in 1909.
4. 1905 – First university
What would become the National University of Singapore (NUS) started off as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School – Singapore’s first institution of higher learning.
5. 1936 – First public housing estate
The first public housing blocks popped up in Tiong Bahru. And to think, this place was once a cemetery before the first block of flats (Blocks 45, 48 and 49 Stirling Road) were completed in December 1936.
6. 1948 – First stamps
While the British East India Company introduced the first postage stamp in Singapore in 1854, the first set of stamps that had the word “Singapore” printed on them were issued in 1948. The stamps featured a lion statue.
The Cathay Building in 1945. | IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
7. 1941 – First skyscraper
“Towering” at 83.5m, the Cathay Building at Handy Road was Singapore’s first-ever skyscraper and the tallest building around when it opened. Even cooler? Its cinema was the first fully air-conditioned public space.
8. 1952 – First satellite town
Queenstown was developed as Singapore’s first satellite town. It was named after Queen Elizabeth II to mark Her Majesty's coronation in 1953. Today, it’s also home to Singapore’s first full-time branch library.
9. 1953 – First community centre
Community spirit came alive with the first CCs in Serangoon and Siglap. They were both opened on the same day in May 1953.
10. 1954 – First polytechnic
Singapore Polytechnic, the Lion City’s first polytechnic, opened on 27 Oct 1954. It remains the largest Polytechnic in the country and is renowned for its engineering programmes. It moved from Prince Edward Road to Dover in 1978.
11. 1967 – First currency
Singapore’s first dollar notes were introduced on 12 Jun 1967 (Orchid Series) and coins on 20 Nov 1967 (Marine Series) following Singapore’s separation from Malaysia.
The first-ever batch of National Servicemen (NS) in Singapore. | IMAGES: YOUTUBE/@ROOTSSG (LEFT) AND FACEBOOK/@INDIANHERITAGECENTRE
12. 1967 – First National Servicemen batch
Singapore’s first batch of full-time National Servicemen enlisted on 17 Aug 1967. The former Taman Jurong Camp (now a park called Taman Jurong Greens) was Singapore’s first NS Camp.
13. 1970 – First junior college
National Junior College opened its doors as our very first JC on Jan 1969. It moved to its current location on Hillcrest Road in July 1995.
14. 1971 – First hawker centre
Yung Sheng Food Centre opened in July 1972 as Singapore’s first hawker centre. It was fondly known as “60 Stalls” because of the 60 stalls it had. Today, it is known as Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre, which opened in 2005.
15. 1974 – First condominium
Beverly Mai was Singapore’s first condo. The 28-storey tower at Tomlinson Road cost $4 million to build.
🚇 Transport and Infrastructure
Tank Road Station in the 1900s. | IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
16. 1903 – First railway station
All aboard! Tank Road Station started ferrying passengers to Bukit Timah on 1 Jan 1903, marking the first phase of the Singapore-Kranji Railway. The last train left the station in 1932, making way for the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
17. 1906 – First electric lift
Winchester House at Collyer Quay got Singapore’s first electric lift, thanks to businessman and philanthropist Loke Yew. The building was replaced by the Hitachi Tower in 1992.
18. 1930 – First international airport
No, it’s not Changi. Seletar Airport became Singapore’s first international airport when it welcomed its first commercial flight from Jakarta, Indonesia.
19. 1931 – First public swimming pool
Mount Emily Swimming Pool made a splash as Singapore’s first public pool on 10 Jan 1931. It was converted from a municipal reservoir.
20. 1964 – First multi-storey carpark
The 8-storey carpark at Market Street was opened in Jun 1964. It had sufficient parking lots for 780 cars and 130 motorcycles.
21. 1965 – First escalator
Orchard Theatre introduced the first escalator. It was such a novelty that people came to visit just to try it out.
22. 1965 – First underground carpark
Raffles Place had our first underground carpark. It was originally an open-air carpark but was converted into a garden with underground carpark by the Public Works Department in 1961. It was demolished in 1987 for the Raffles Place MRT station.
23. 1970 – First flyover
The first flyover in Singapore opened to motorists in Toa Payoh on 14 Dec 1970. It was likely the first time someone missed an exit too.
The PIE after Nanyang Flyover, looking towards Tuas. | IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
24. 1977 – First expressway
Pan Island Expressway (PIE) is the Little Red Dot’s first and longest expressway. Spanning 42.8km from East Coast Parkway to Tuas, it is also the longest road in Singapore.
25. 1977 – First double-decker bus
SBS Transit (then Singapore Bus Services) introduced the first double-decker buses on 13 Jun 1977 with seven busses plying Service 86.
26. 1987 – First MRT
The North-South MRT Line changed the way we travelled forever on 7 Nov 1987, with just five stations at the time: Yio Chu Kang, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Braddell, and Toa Payoh.
27. 1999 – First LRT
Bukit Panjang LRT started as our first light rail line on 6 Nov 1999. There was a large crowd waiting to ride the first train, so they had to run the first service at 1.22 pm, 8 min earlier than the scheduled time.
Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 taking off. | IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
28. 2007 – First to fly Airbus A380
Singapore Airlines became the first to fly the Airbus A380. The inaugural flight SQ380 from Singapore to Sydney was on 25 Oct, 2007.
🎭 Arts, Media and Pop Culture
29. 1904 – First cinema
Our movie obsession began with Paris Cinema at Victoria Street - Singapore’s first movie theatre. It was opened by French entrepreneur Paul Picard, and occupied a section rented from the Malay Theatre on Victoria Street.
30. 1963 – First TV broadcast
Singapore’s first TV station, Television Singapura, launched on 15 Feb 1963 at Victoria Memorial Hall. 300 lucky guests got front-row seats to the monochrome pilot broadcast, which ran for 1hr and 40min on just 17 TVs placed around the hall.
31. 1971 – First (and only) drive-in cinema
The Jurong Drive-in was Singapore’s one and only drive-in cinema, and it opened on 14 Jul 1971, On opening night, 880 cars rolled into the 900-car lot to catch “Doctor in Trouble” under the stars.
Thanks to the Sentosa Earth Satellite Station (left), Singaporeans were able to watch West Germany beat Holland 2-1 in the 1974 World Cup final. | IMAGES: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
32. 1974 – First colour TV broadcast
Channel 5 aired Singapore’s first-ever “live” colour broadcast – the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final between West Germany and Holland. All thanks to the Sentosa Earth Satellite Station.
33. 1984 – First local TV kiss
The first on-screen kiss in Singapore local television occurred in the 1984 drama "The Awakening" starring Chen Shucheng and Huang Peiru.
34. 1993 – First Singaporean wax figure
The first wax figure of the Singapore Girl, modelled after Singapore Airlines stewardess Lim Suet Kwee, was unveiled at Madame Tussauds London.
35. 1995 – First local English sitcom
“Under One Roof” premiered as Singapore’s first English sitcom, paving the way for future classics like “Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd” and “Police & Thief”.
36. 2013 – First Singaporean Cannes Film Festival Award
Anthony Chen made history with “Ilo Ilo”, winning Singapore’s first Camera d’Or at Cannes. It was his debut feature.
🏅 Sports and Outdoor Achievements
37. 1948 – First Singaporean Olympian
Lloyd Valberg leapt into history as the first Singaporean to compete at the Olympic Games, representing us in high jump at the London Olympics. Fun fact: He is Joseph Schooling’s grand-uncle.
When it comes to weightlifting, Tan Howe Liang was the true GOAT. | IMAGES (FROM LEFT): SINGAPORE NATIONAL OLYMPIC COUNCIL AND WIKIMEDIA COMMONS and Wikimedia Commons.
38. 1950 – First Olympic medal for Singapore
Tan Howe Liang made history on 8 Sep 1950 by winning Singapore’s very first Olympic medal – a silver in weightlifting at the Rome Games.
39. 1951 – First Asian Gold Medal (ever)
Swimmer Neo Chwee Kok won four golds at the inaugural Asian Games in New Delhi – including the very first Asian Games gold awarded.
40. 1978 – First Female Singaporean Asian Gold medallist
At just 14, Junie Sng made waves as Singapore’s first female swimmer to win Asian Games gold - and became the youngest gold medallist ever in the history of the Games.
41. 1985 – First Singaporean World Bowling Champion
Strike! Adelene Wee became the youngest winner and the first Singaporean to be crowned World Bowling Champion at the 1985 World Games. She later rolled into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
42. 1998 – First Singaporeans to summit Mount Everest
On 25 May 1998 at 8.30am Singapore time, Edwin Siew and Khoo Swee Chiow made it to the top of the world, becoming the first Singaporeans to summit the 8,848m-high Mount Everest.
43. 1998 – First ASEAN Championship
Singapore won its first AFF Championship on 5 Sep 1998, beating Vietnam 1-0 in the finals. Singapore would also win in 2004, 2007, and 2012.
44. 2008 – First Paralympics Gold
Yip Pin Xiu won Singapore’s first-ever Paralympic gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics in the 50m backstroke S3 - and she didn’t stop there. She also snagged a silver in the 50m freestyle in the same Games.
On 26 Sep 2008, Fernando Alonso became the first Singapore F1 night race champion; in 2nd place, was Nico Rosberg, and 3rd was Lewis Hamilton. | IMAGES: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
45. 2008 – First F1 night race
From 26 to 28 Sep 2008, Singapore lit up the tracks with the first Formula One night race at the Marina Bay street circuit. Renault's Fernando Alonso claimed a controversial victory.
46. 2016 – First Olympic Gold Medal
Joseph Schooling won Singapore’s first Olympic gold in the 100m butterfly at the Rio Games. His time was 50.39 seconds – smashing the Olympic record.
47. 2021 – First Singaporean Badminton World Champion
Loh Kean Yew made history by becoming Singapore’s first badminton world champion at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain. He clinched the title with a thrilling 21-15, 22-20 victory over India’s Kidambi Srikanth.
🔬 Tech and Innovation
48. 1979 – First ATM in Singapore
The Chartered Bank (now Standard Chartered Bank) set up Singapore’s first ATM outside their Raffles Place office.
49. 1998 – First Satellite
Singapore made its mark in space with the launch of ST-1, our first-ever communications satellite. Fast forward to 2011, and Singapore launched X-Sat – the first satellite designed and built in the Republic.
50. 2020 – First country to approve sale of lab-grown meat
Singapore became the first country to approve a lab-grown meat product when US start-up Eat Just got the green light to sell their "chicken” bites.
The large-scale floating solar farm at Tengeh Reservoir. | IMAGE: SEMBCORP
51. 2021 – First floating solar farm in Singapore
Singapore launched its first large-scale floating solar farm at Tengeh Reservoir on 14 Jul 2021. The Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm spans 45 hectares and features 122,000 solar panels. It's one of the world’s largest inland floating solar PV systems.
🛍️ Lifestyle and Retail
The John Little store in Marina Square, 2007. | IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
52. 1842 – First department store
John Little opened its doors to the public in 1842. It operated for 174 years, before closing its final store at Plaza Singapura in 2016.
53. 1966 – First fast-food chain
A&W made its mark as Singapore’s first fast-food chain, opening its first restaurant at Dunearn Road - long before McDonald's (1979) and KFC (1977) arrived.
54. 1983 – First 7-Eleven
The first 7-Eleven opened along Upper Changi Road in Jun 1983, quickly becoming the go-to for Singaporeans on the move.
55. 2004 – First low-cost airline
Valuair took off as Singapore’s first low-cost airline. Their maiden flight on 5 May 2004 from Changi Airport to Bangkok carried 162 passengers.
🌿 Nature and Heritage
56. 1883 – First forest reserve
The Bukit Timah Forest Reserve was established as the first of its kind in Singapore, thanks to the recommendation of Nathaniel Cantley, then-Superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The world’s first nocturnal wildlife park lets us get up close to nocturnal creatures including (clockwise from top left) the Grey-handed Night Monkey, the Malayan Tapir, and the Tasmanian Devil. | IMAGES: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
57. 1994 – First nocturnal wildlife park
Singapore made history with the opening of the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park – Night Safari. Nestled within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, it’s home to over 900 animals from around 100 species, with nearly 41% of them being threatened.
58. 2003 – First Singapore ASEAN Heritage Park
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was first opened as a nature park, laying the foundation for one of Singapore's most important ecological sites. By 2002, 130 hectares of the park were officially gazetted as a nature reserve, and in 2003, it became Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park.
59. 2015 – Singapore’s First UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Botanic Gardens became Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 4 Jul 2015, the 21-member World Heritage Committee unanimously endorsed its inscription.
In December 2023, Le Le will move on to his next big adventure: contributing to the conservation of the Giant Panda species in China. | IMAGE: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
60. 2021 – First giant panda born in Singapore
Le Le, Singapore's first giant panda, was born at the River Wonders on 14 Aug 2021. Following the terms of China’s panda loan agreement, Le Le was sent back to China in January 2024 at the age of 2.
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