This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

In 1959, after nearly a century and a half of British colonial rule,

the people of Singapore took the first step toward their independence.

They voted to run their own internal government.

It was a joyous moment, but they inherited a difficult situation.

Singapore was bombed heavily by Japan during the Second World War,

and again by the allies after Singapore fell to the Japanese.

A lot of its infrastructure was in ruins, including the port, which had brought foreign goods

and a multi-ethnic multilingual population of people to the island for centuries.

No port meant no jobs. Party was rampant. Most of the island's residents were living in

unpermitted makeshift houses crammed into crowded villages throughout the island.

If you don't know, the country of Singapore is tiny. Today, the entire nation is really just one

city. It takes less than 45 minutes to drive across the island, with traffic.

But in the 1950s, there were villages. And those villages were known as Campong's, a local Malay word.

That's producer Katie Thornton. She's a full-bright national geographic fellow and has spent the

last four months in Singapore. Campong communities were strong and close knit.

But the living wasn't easy. Multiple families might share one toilet or one kitchen.

Many of the Campong's relied on gas for lighting and cooking,

and most houses were made of superflammable palm leaves or wood with roofs made of sheet metal.

The government wanted to raise the quality of life for the people. They rebuilt the port and

created factory jobs. They made all the kids learn English so that Singapore could feel united

under one language. But the biggest undertaking of all was to get the people out of thatched roof

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