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Breaking new ground: ST captures the magic of inventions that would change the world
From its earliest days, The Straits Times has tracked technology, delivering news as well as advertisements that showed how inventions could transform everyday life.
'One of the most sensational inventions of the day is considered to be the Telephone, whereby sound can be conveyed to long distances by wire, like a telegram.'
So declared The Straits Times on May 12, 1877, just a year after American inventor Alexander Graham Bell was awarded a patent for inventing a device that could transmit clear speech over wires.
From its earliest days, the paper has tracked technology, delivering news as well as advertisements that showed how inventions could transform everyday life.
'The media has always had a key role to play in society,' says Dr Wu Shangyuan, a senior lecturer from the National University of Singapore's department of communications and new media. 'Even before the internet, traditional media was – and still is – responsible for informing the masses about important issues of the day.'
Here's how the paper captured the magic of eight landmark discoveries that shaped the modern world.
1. Washing machine (1850s)
It was in 1858 that American inventor Hamilton Smith patented a rotary washing machine.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
The washing machine has roots stretching back to the late 18th century, but it was in 1858 that American inventor Hamilton Smith patented a rotary machine .
This useful appliance had found its way to homes in Singapore by the first third of the new century. A glimpse into domestic life from that era appears on Page 25 of The Sunday Times on Dec 4, 1938 , lamenting the bane of 'yellow spots and dark specks' on blankets.
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An article on Dec 4, 1938, in The Sunday Times lamenting the bane of 'yellow spots and dark specks' on blankets (left), and an advertisement on Sept 15, 1946, for an 'all-British cabinet washing machine' from Servis (right).
PHOTOS: ST FILE
'Whether the blanket is washed or sent to be dry-cleaned is a matter of convenience: a washing machine helps a lot if the task is done at home,' it notes, hinting at the growing appeal of mechanised laundry.
After World War II, the dream of effortless washing took a bold leap forward. On Sept 15, 1946 , a front-page advertisement shouted the arrival of an 'all-British cabinet washing machine' from Servis.
'Electrically operated' and 'streamline-designed', it promised to do 'all the labour of washing and wringing for you – at very little cost'. The age of modern laundry had finally arrived.
2. Telephone (1876) and mobile phone (1973)
An illustration of the first mobile phone.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
Chances are, you read many Straits Times articles on a mobile phone, a device born from the simple idea of sending sound across a distance. In the 19th century, 'calling' someone was a game changer, faster than a telegram, radio broadcast or printed notice.
Italian inventor Antonio Meucci and Frenchman Charles Bourseul toyed with early designs, but it was American Alexander Graham Bell who clinched the first patent in the United States in 1876.
By May 12, 1877, The Straits Times was already hailing the telephone as 'one of the most sensational inventions of the day' and describing a set-up of two cylinders linked by thread.
Among the first mentions of 'telephone' in The Straits Times was on May 12, 1877, when the device was considered to be 'one of the most sensational inventions of the day'. Just over a month after Motorola demonstrated the use of the first handheld mobile phone in New York, the words 'mobile telephone' appeared in The Sunday Times' May 20, 1973, edition (right).
PHOTOS: ST FILE
It would take nearly a century before a mobile version appeared. On April 3, 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper placed a call from a handheld phone on the streets of New York City. The buzz caught on quickly. Just a month later on May 20, 1973, The Sunday Times reported on 'mobile telephone' technology in Malaysia's telecommunications system , noting that new facilities and services in Selangor and some adjoining areas could be used for mobile telephones.
It would take several more decades for the smartphone revolution. Apple's iPhone, unveiled by Steve Jobs in January 2007, would change everything. Interestingly, The Straits Times mentioned the 'iPhone' even before that. In a March 28, 2006, story in the Digital Life supplement about consumers buying accessories for the portable media player, the iPod, it said: ' According to the rumour mill, fans are now waiting for the ultimate iPod to accessorise – the iPhone .'
Apple's iPhone, unveiled by Steve Jobs in January 2007, would change everything. Interestingly, The Straits Times mentioned the 'iPhone' even before that, in a March 28, 2006, story.
PHOTO: ST FILE
3. Electricity
The phenomenon of electricity – a form of energy that powers everyday devices and underpins modern life – was understood gradually over centuries.
A key moment came in 1752, when American scientist Benjamin Franklin famously flew a kite in a thunderstorm, demonstrating that lightning is a form of electricity. Later, in 1879, American inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison developed a practical and long-lasting incandescent light bulb, making electric lighting widely accessible to homes and businesses.
The phrase 'electric light' appeared as early as Jan 24, 1849, when a writer talks about the possibility of 'an electric light, equal to a hundred candles at the cost of a penny an hour'.
The phrase 'electric light' appeared as early as Jan 24, 1849, when a writer talked about the possibility of 'an electric light, equal to a hundred candles at the cost of a penny an hour'.
PHOTO: ST FILE
By 1906, electricity had come to the region, with a report on May 2 that year describing a tragic accident in Kuala Lumpur, in which a horse was electrocuted by falling electric light wires and killed instantly.
Another report the same month, on May 30 , said that two new houses of then Sultan of Selangor Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah were 'lighted with electricity throughout', and hoped that the town of Kuala Kangsar would similarly be 'lighted with electricity' soon.
A Straits Times article on May 2, 1906, reporting that a horse in Kuala Lumpur had been electrocuted by falling electric light wires and killed instantly (left). An article on Page 7 of the May 30, 1906, edition, which said that two new houses of the then Sultan of Selangor Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, in what is now Malaysia, were 'lighted with electricity throughout' (right).
PHOTOS: ST FILE
That same year, another report on Nov 22 announced that electric lighting and fans would be installed at a new pavilion at the Singapore Cricket Club, and that the price of electricity had fallen greatly from an initial estimate of 40 cents per unit to 25 cents per unit. In all, 24 fans and 132 lamps would be powered this way.
Clearly, electricity had arrived, and life was bright with possibility.
4. Automobile (1886)
The Benz Patent-Motorwagen, a three-wheeled vehicle powered by a petrol engine, is now widely recognised as the world's first practical automobile.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
Before modern cars, early experiments in transport included steam-powered vehicles like steam cars and buses, though these were often impractical or limited in use. That changed in 1886, when German engineer Carl Benz introduced the Benz Patent-Motorwagen – a three-wheeled vehicle powered by a petrol engine. It is now widely recognised as the world's first practical automobile.
One of the earliest mentions of the word 'automobile' in The Straits Times appeared on June 25, 1898. An article on Page 3 reported how French aristocrat Anne de Rochechouart, the Duchess of Uzes, was a trailblazer – a 'lady automobile driver' at a time when only men drove.
One of the earliest mentions of the word 'automobile' in The Straits Times was on June 25, 1898, in an article that referred to the French Duchess of Uzes as a 'lady automobile driver'.
PHOTO: ST FILE
She was reportedly the first woman in France to earn a driver's licence and aced her 40km test drive in Paris, showing 'perfect familiarity with the machine' and confidently answering all the examiners' questions.
In 1899, five automobile vehicles appeared at the Esplanade here, including an automotor tricycle, which could be driven 97km on less than 2 litres of 'petroleum essence' . The details of the vehicles, said to be linked to the Phebus company, a French manufacturer of early automobiles, were reported on Feb 20, 1899 .
By 1902, advertisements for cars began appearing, such as one by The French Automobile Company offering trials to potential customers, including teaching them how the cars' mechanisms work. 'No explosion possible', read the ad on Page 6 of the Sept 12 edition. 'In great demand', it also proclaimed. 'Once tried, always appreciated.'
An advertisement on Sept 12, 1902, by The French Automobile Company, offering trials of cars to potential customers, who will also learn the cars' mechanisms.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Cycle & Carriage , a car retailer and distributor, was founded in 1899 in Kuala Lumpur. Although it started out as a trader in nutmeg and sundry goods, it soon sold other goods, such as bicycles, motorcycles and motor cars.
In 1916, it opened a branch in Orchard Road in Singapore, and in an article on Aug 25, 1916, reportedly had an 'illustrated catalogue' of bicycles, motorcycles and accessories, in stock for immediate delivery at the Singapore branch.
An article on Aug 25, 1916, reporting that Cycle & Carriage – now known as Jardine Cycle & Carriage – was selling bicycles, motorcycles and accessories.
PHOTO: ST FILE
It is now Jardine Cycle & Carriage, after it became a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Jardine Matheson Group in 2002.
5. Radio (late 1880s) and television (1927)
Radio broadcasting arrived in Singapore in the 1920s.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
The history of radio is hotly debated, but most agree that German physicist Heinrich Hertz first proved the existence of radio waves in the late 1880s. It took years before these waves were harnessed for communication, navigation and more.
One of the early mentions of 'radio' appeared on May 23, 1907, in an article about Britain's Radio-Telegraph Convention Committee. The article highlighted an intriguing 'discovery' – that sunlight, unlike fog or mist, could disrupt long-distance wireless signals. It noted that messages could travel twice as far at night compared with a sunny day.
The word 'radio' made an early appearance in ST on May 23, 1907, when an article on Page 4 referred to the Radio-Telegraph Convention Committee in Britain.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Radio broadcasting arrived in Singapore in the 1920s through the efforts of a small group of amateur radio enthusiasts including the Amateur Wireless Society of Malaya, an interest group comprising mostly European expatriates. In 1925, they successfully transmitted speech and sounds from a gramophone from their rooms at the Union Building in Collyer Quay.
An article on Page 9 on May 7, 1925, about the Amateur Wireless Society of Malaya, an interest group comprising mostly European expatriates, successfully transmitting a speech and sounds from a gramophone from their rooms at the Union Building in Collyer Quay.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Back then, local amateur singers and musicians were some of the first to have their performances regularly broadcast on the radio.
As for television, the magic moment came after decades of experimentation elsewhere. On Feb 16, 1963 , the front page proclaimed 'TV comes to Singapore', and quoted then Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam as saying this could be the 'start of a cultural, social revolution'.
An article on Page 1 of the paper on Feb 16, 1963, announcing the arrival of television in Singapore.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The evening before, at 6pm, Mr Rajaratnam was the first person to appear on television screens here, where he said: 'If used intelligently and responsibly, television can far more effectively than any other medium of communication broaden the intellectual horizons of the ordinary man.'
The first successful demonstration of electronic television came in 1927, thanks to American inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth, who used electronic signals to create moving images on a screen.
But The Straits Times had shown interest in the idea much earlier. On Jan 10, 1910, it published an article about German scientist Ernst Ruhmer, who transmitted simple images using selenium cells over telegraph lines. The article imagined that one day, 'the head and shoulders of a human being could be seen over a distance'.
The word 'television' appeared in the paper on Jan 10, 1910, when an article talked about the possibility of one day being able to see people in Paris while sitting at home in London.
PHOTO: ST FILE
This story offered a glimpse of a future television technology that would later develop with cathode ray tubes.
6. Air-conditioning (1902)
One of the first few air-conditioning units in the early 1900s.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
If you cannot survive one day without air-conditioning, imagine what life was like before this invention came to Singapore in the 1930s.
Reports say air-conditioning was first installed here in 1932 , at the Chinese Recreation Club. Also among the first adopters was Singapore General Hospital , which tested out air-conditioning in its X-ray screening room, X-ray viewing room and two patients' rooms in 1937, and subsequently installed it in its operating theatre in 1938.
Both events were reported on.
A Page 15 article on Nov 7, 1937, for example, said: 'Air-conditioned wards, operating theatres and X-ray rooms at the Singapore General Hospital may become a reality if experiments now being carried out at the hospital impress the authorities.'
An article on Nov 7, 1937, about Singapore General Hospital testing out air-conditioning in its X-ray screening room, X-ray viewing room and two patients' rooms. The hospital was among the first adopters of air-conditioning.
PHOTO: ST FILE
And impress they did, for on June 19, 1938, another article, this time on Page 2, announced that patients there would soon be 'released from the agony of prickly heat'. The change would also allow surgeons to operate in comfort, instead of being bathed in sweat, and asthma sufferers to be treated in a suitably dry atmosphere, it continued.
It was all thanks to American engineer Willis Carrier , who built the first modern air-conditioning system in 1902. Designed to control humidity and lower the temperature of air to a desired dew point temperature , his invention would eventually transform how humans live and made cinemas, shopping malls, long-haul flights and computer servers possible.
Early mentions of air-conditioning included an article on April 7, 1931, describing the new technology's ability to produce temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 deg C) with almost any degree of humidity, 'artificially created whatever the outside weather'. It noted the technology was still experimental, with studies in a British university monitoring pulse rates, body temperature and weight loss from sweating .
7. Electric refrigerator (1913) and microwave (1945)
Microwave cooking was discovered by accident in 1945.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
One of the first mentions of refrigerators was in a shopping advertisement .
On Feb 26, 1884, department store John Little proudly announced the arrival of 'Kent's refrigerators' among its 'new goods', alongside card tables and a billiard room liqueur table in its furniture section. While the science behind it was not explained, it most certainly did not run on electricity.
On Feb 26, 1884, an advertisement by department store John Little announced that Kent's refrigerators were among its new goods.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The first electric refrigerators for home and domestic use were invented only in 1913. They had reached Singapore by 1927, as an early ad for an electric refrigerator was published on Page 12 of the July 23 edition of The Straits Times that year, promising a device that 'makes ice, ice cream (and) keeps food and drink fresh' and 'never wants repair'.
An ad on Page 12 of the July 23, 1927, edition for an electric refrigerator that 'makes ice, ice cream (and) keeps food and drink fresh' and 'never wants repair'.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Microwave cooking was discovered by accident in 1945 after American engineer Percy Spencer noticed a chocolate bar melting near a World War II radar device. He later used microwaves to pop popcorn.
Microwave ovens gained popularity in Singapore homes only in the 1970s, when smaller and more affordable models became available.
Japanese electronics manufacturer Sanyo took out an ad on Page 8 of the Feb 22, 1970, edition to explain how a microwave oven worked and promised 'Roast a chicken in minutes'.
Japanese electronics manufacturer Sanyo took out an ad on Feb 22, 1970, to explain how a microwave oven worked.
PHOTO: ST FILE
It said: 'A microwave oven utilises high frequency energy to cook or heat food. Since the heat energy permeates the entire mass of the food at once, cooking is extremely quick and even. A whole chicken takes only an instant to roast.'
8. Laptop (1981)
An early laptop.
ST ILLUSTRATION: LOCK HOCK LIANG
'Laptop computers are really something. They weigh just over 2kg, run on batteries and stash neatly in a briefcase. But how does one print a letter?'
This was the introduction to a New York Times article that ran in The Straits Times' Section Two – a lifestyle section – on July 15, 1985.
A New York Times article that ran in The Straits Times' Section Two – a lifestyle section – on July 15, 1985. The report marvelled at the convenience of laptop computers.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The first laptop was the Osborne 1, which weighed 11.1kg, had no internal battery and was powered by a wall plug. Released in 1981 by American company Osborne Computer Corp, it was considered a portable device as it could be carried by hand when its keyboard was closed.
In those days, the word 'laptop' was not common parlance. One of the first mentions of the word appeared on May 13, 1985, in Section Two. It was used to describe the Kaypro 2000, a 4.12kg IBM-compatible briefcase-size portable computer, which was selling for a hefty US$1,995.
One of the first mentions of the word 'laptop' appeared on May 13, 1985, in ST's Section Two. It was used to describe the Kaypro 2000.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Another laptop, the Bondwell 2, was also written about in Section Two on Sept 9, 1985. It sold for about $2,000 , which included software packages.
Another laptop, the Bondwell 2, was written about in Section Two on Sept 9, 1985.
PHOTO: ST FILE
At that time, a reporter noted: 'The crop of portables available here are rather high-priced and beyond the reach of most people.' Thankfully, that has changed, with some laptops today priced in the low hundreds.
The Kenbak-1 , built by American inventor John Blankenbaker in 1971, is widely seen as the first personal computer.
Originally designed for educational purposes – to teach computer concepts and programming – it paved the way for laptops in the 1980s and smartphones in the 1990s, all turbocharged by the rise of the internet and social media. Today, most people interact with some form of personal computer daily.
This digital transformation was predicted as early as 1967 by American mathematician John G. Kemeny . In a Straits Times report on Jan 28 that year, Kemeny forecast that by 1990, computers would be as common in homes as telephones and TVs, and used for chores such as shopping and banking. He was spot on .
In an article on Jan 28, 1967, American mathematician John G. Kemeny predicted that by 1990, a computer terminal would be as common and important in American homes as a telephone and TVs.
PHOTO: ST FILE
