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30 BCE – Octavian, who later rejoice in the name of Augustus, enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing the city under the control of the Roman Republic. 1498 – Inveterate journeyman Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to reach what is now Venezuela. 1778 – The first savings bank opens in Hamburg, Germany. 1842 – The Lombard…

For centuries, Singapore, in South East Asia, was a major trading port. A British colony from 1819, it summoned images of a relaxed tropical lifestyle, slowly turning fans in Raffles hotel and streets ending in palm tree lined beaches. What are some interesting aspects of its recent history?