Before the early 1600s, many nations were present on the main land of Japan. Traders, missionaries and others from Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and several other nations were starting to influence Japanese culture. So much in fact, that the ruling upper class became anxious. Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651) was the ruling shogun and eventually banned virtually all foreigners.
Singapore rises
When Lee Kuan Yew’s (1923-2015) People’s Action Party came to power in 1959, the outlook was grim. Singapore was a poor nation with virtually no natural resources, high unemployment rate and rampant corruption. Furthermore it was only a citystate and had no more than a few million inhabitants.
Aladdin and the Kamasutra
To say that British adventurer Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) has seen the World would be an understatement. His journeys took him all across the globe from Africa, Asia to the Americas when much of it was still unexplored.
Bangkok’s real name
The ceremonial name of Bangkok is: “Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit” This means “City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra‘s behest”.