Bangkok

The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, was founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by Phutthayotfa Chulalok (known as Rama I) on April 21, 1782. He set up his government there following the the destruction of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders. Rama I fortified the city with a 4.4 mile wall with 15 forts and 63 gates.

Construction began on the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the official residence of the king of Thailand on May 6, 1782. It was ordered by King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. After the final completion of the ceremonial halls of the palace, the king held a full traditional coronation ceremony in 1785. 

The Emerald Buddha was installed on March 22, 1784 in its current location at the Wat Phra Kaew on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The figurine is of the meditating Buddha seated in yogic posture. It is made of a semi-precious green stone (jade or jasper rather than emerald), clothed in gold and is considered the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Emerald Buddha, in the winter season attire

Life in the city was for long founded on the canals, or klongs, which provided valuable defenses as well as means of transport, and Bangkok was known as the ‘Venice of the East’.

In the later 19th century, under Rama V, trade was stimulated as the canals and most of the city wall were largely displaced by the building of a network of  roads and bridges. Many of the waterways have been filled in to supply the roads for the city’s growing number of motor vehicles.

View of 19th-century Bangkok with the Golden Mount in the background.

Up till the mid-19th century, the primary means of transport in Bangkok (and Siam in general) was by boat. This began to change as the country opened up to Western ideas and influences, and underwent modernization during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV, r. 1851–1868) On August 19, 1861, Western consuls, complaining of ill health due to a lack of roads in which they could travel by horse-drawn carriage, requested that the King build a new road on the east side of the river behind the consulates and businesses. As a result, Charoen Krung Road was built, the first in Thailand using modern construction methods. Construction of the road marked a major change in Bangkok's urban development, with the major mode of transport shifting from water to land. Charoen Krung Road was Bangkok's main street up to the early 20th century, but later declined in prominence.

Postcard of Charoen Krung Road, c. 1910s–1920s

Bangkok became the center stage for power struggles between the Thai military and political elite as the country abolished absolute monarchy in 1932.

Allied bombing raids on Bangkok began in December 1941, since the Empire of Japan was using the country as a staging area for its invasions of both Malaya and Burma after Japan's successful invasion of the southeast Asian country. Thailand declared war against the United States and United Kingdom on January 25, 1942.

Allied Bombing of Rama VI Bridge.

The hosting of the 13th Asian Games in 1998 brought about the construction of a large number of new roads, which helped to relieve traffic congestion in the city.

The correct name for the capital city of Thailand is actually Krung Thep ("city of angels"), and it's been this way for over 130 years. Foreigners persist on calling it Bangkok.

Bangkok's full ceremonial name, which came into use during the reign of King Mongkut, reads as follows:
Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit
The name, composed of Pali and Sanskrit root words, translates as:
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.

The city's ceremonial name (partially visible) is displayed in front of the Bangkok City Hall. Photo by Hdamm Wikipedia 

Bangkok is sinking at a rate of 2 to 5 centimeters a year.

It is located in a rice-growing lowland plain, and rice milling is one of Bangkok's traditional industries. 

Bangkok is the world's hottest city according to the World Meteorological Organization.

A tenth of Thailand’s entire population lives in Bangkok.

One of the distinguishing features of the city is the more than 400 richly decorated wats, or temples. The most magnificent of these is Wat Phra Kaeo (Chapel of the Emerald Buddha), located within the walls of the Grand Palace.

Bangkok is the most visited city in the world, with with just over 20 million overnight visitors in 2017. As a result Thailand now earns ten per cent of its income from tourism.

Sources Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia,  Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM, The Sun.