- Singapore’s criminal justice system fell under the international spotlight as the authorities carried out the highest number of executions for drug-related offenses in over a decade, including the first woman put to death in almost 20 years. The government harassed, intimidated, and persecuted civil society activists and independent media practitioners in the lead-up to presidential elections in September, which saw the election of Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, to the largely ceremonial post.
- Woodrow Wilson (allthetropes.org)
President of the United States, 1913-1921. First elected in 1912 beating two former presidents - incumbent Republican Taft, and Progressive Party candidate Teddy Roosevelt (a former Republican). Re-elected to his second term largely on the slogan, “He Kept Us Out Of War”; shortly into that term he got us into war. Suffered a stroke in 1919 and spent the rest of his term with his wife effectively running the government for him, rather than handing over power to the Vice President. This was a possible factor for the 19th amendment to the Constitution (women’s suffrage) being ratified during this time (though Wilson had announced his support before the stroke). Later the 25th amendment (presidential succession) was definitely ratified with Wilson’s stroke used as an instrumental (but negative) example.