In the 14th century, it was said that when a Sumatran prince set foot on the island, he saw a magical beast that he later learned was a lion. In 1819, Stamford Raffles, an Englishman, shaped Singapore as a trading post, and Singapore’s free trade policy attracted merchants from all over Asia, even the United States and the Middle East. Singapore gained independence on August 9, 1965, and became a member of the United Nations in September of that year. It became a member of the United Nations in September of that year and joined the Commonwealth in October.