Entertainment

The first botanic gardens was established on Fort Canning Hill in 1822 but was closed in 1829. It was reopened in 1836 and finally abandoned in 1846. Singapore's first official dinner, held on February 6, 1824, was given by the Resident, John Crawfurd, to Europeans to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the settlement. The first public entertainment was given in 1831 by Signor Masoni, a violinist. The first boarding-house was opened in High Street in 1831. The first hotel with a billiards room and a refreshment hall was opened in 1832. The earliest record of amateur theatricals in Singapore appeared in the March 21, 1833 issue of The Singapore Chronicle. Singapore Sling was first served in 1915. Singapore had its first radio station in 1914. Broadcasting began in 1922, with amateurs broadcasting from two experimental stations. The Scene Shifters produced its first dramas, Box and Cox, and Trial by Jury, in a YMCA Hall in 1932. Singapore's Musical Society is the oldest established musical organisation in Singapore. The Society of Chinese Artists was founded in 1935. Singapore went on the air for the first time in 1936 when a private company, the British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation commenced operations. Sir Shenton Thomas was the first Governor to have a wireless set at Government House. A radio gramophone was installed in 1937. The first picture to be screened at the Cathay Cinema when it opened on October 3, 1939, was The Four Feathers. Cathay was the first cinema to reopen after the war; it opened on Sunday, September 23, 1945, with a grand film titled Desert Victory. The first talentime contest was held in 1946. The broadcasting listening station licence in its present form was first issued in May 1947. The first all-local national formation aerobatic team performed at Changi Air Base during the SAF Day Celebrations in 1974. Karaoke was introduced into the entertainment scene in 1983. The first Christmas light-up along Orchard Road was in 1984. The Oriental Singers broke the Guinness Book record for singing non-stop for 74 hours and five minutes on December 25, 1986. Singapore Broadcasting Corporation transmitted its first TV programmes in stereophonic sound on August 1, 1990.