A single treaty on a swampy island created one of the world's busiest ports

In January 1819, British official Stamford Raffles landed on a small island at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, home at the time to a few hundred fishermen and pirates, and judged its deep-water harbour perfect for a trading post. On 6 February 1819, he signed a treaty with the local Sultan Hussein Shah establishing a British settlement there. That settlement grew into modern Singapore, now one of the busiest shipping ports on Earth.

— Historical event, Founding of Modern Singapore — 6 February 1819