External Developments that impacted Singapore | Sec 1 History | Chapter 3

Four big global events that completely changed our island's fortunes.

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First, the Suez Canal opened in 1869, slashing travel time between Europe and Asia from 120 days to just 50 — and suddenly, Singapore became the perfect "coaling station" for steamships passing through the Straits of Melaka.

Then came the Tin Boom of the late 1800s, when Malaya produced half the world's tin and Singapore grew into the world's leading tin smelter.

In the early 1900s, cars became popular in America, demand for rubber exploded, and Singapore turned into a global hub for the rubber trade — exports jumped from 104 tonnes in 1905 to a staggering 196,000 tonnes by 1914.

But then in 1929, the Great Depression struck, prices collapsed, trade died down and Singapore learned a hard lesson: when you depend on global trade, you also depend on the world staying stable.