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• On July 20, 1871, C. W. Alcock proposed that 'a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association', giving birth to the FA Cup.
• On March 16, 1872, Wanderers became the first winners of the FA Cup, beating Royal Engineers 1-0 at The Oval. Only 15 clubs enter, 12 play and there are 13 games in total.
• In 1873, for the first and only time the competition lives up to the name Challenge Cup. The Wanderers beat Oxford University in a one off challenge match to retain the Cup. The rules change for the following season.
• The record score in an FA Cup tie was set in 1887 when Preston North End defeated Hyde United 26-0.
• William Townley scores the first hat trick the history of the FA Cup final in the match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday (6-1)
• In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the only non-League team to win the FA Cup with a 3-1 replay victory over Sheffield United.
• In 1903 Bury defeated Derby County 6-0, in what is still the highest score in an FA Cup final.
• In 1914, George V became the first monarch to watch the FA Cup Final between Burnley and Liverpool in the last cup final played at Crystal Palace.
• In 1922, England amateur international Wilfred Minter scores 7 goals for St Albans City against Dulwich Hamlet. Dulwich win 8-7.
• The first final to be played at Wembley, in 1923, drew an over-capacity crowd of more than 200,000. Spectators spilled onto the field, but were moved back by mounted policemen, and the game (which came to be known as the "White Horse Final") was played with spectators lining the edge of the pitch.
• The 1927 final resulted in a Cardiff City victory over Arsenal. To the present day, Cardiff City are the only non-English based team to win the trophy.
• The 1945-1946 FA Cup was the first played since the competition was suspended during World War II. As the intermediate Football League North and Football League South were of variable quality, to boost clubs' income each tie was played over two legs (one home, one away with the scores being added together to decide who went through) to increase the number of matches in the season. Matches that were level at the end of both legs were replayed at the stadium of whichever team had played the second leg away. The semi-finals and final (both played at neutral venues) remained single match affairs.
• The final of 1953 is known as the Matthews Final. The match between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers saw Stanley Matthews, at the age of 38, in his third attempt to win an FA cup winners medal for Blackpool. Bolton were 3-1 up with 22 minutes remaining and looked set to win the match when Blackpool's Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews cross. With less than five minutes remaining Blackpool equalised from a Mortensen free kick and shortly after the restart, with everybody anticipating extra time, Matthews passed to Bill Perry who put the ball in the back of the net securing a 4-3 victory for Blackpool.
• The final of 1956 saw Manchester City win 3-1 against Birmingham City. Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's Peter Murphy. Despite being in terrible pain he continued to play till the end of match and collected his winners' medal still clutching his neck. An x-ray later revealed that he had broken his neck.
• 1956-57 also the record for highest number of rounds played in set, when former League club New Brighton played in nine rounds. They started in the preliminary round, and progressed through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Burnley. They had just one replay - for their first round tie.
• 1958 saw Leeds United beaten 2-1 at home to Cardiff City in the third round for the third consecutive year.
• 1961 saw Tottenham Hotspur become the first club in the 20th century to win the FA cup and league championship in the same season, known famously as the double.
• In 1967 the first substitutes were allowed after many years of finals proving unbalanced due to injuries which forced players into leaving the field early. Players had suffered broken bones in the 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 finals.
• 1970 saw the first Wembley final to go to a replay. The replayed final was played at Old Trafford and contested between Chelsea and Leeds United. It was the last final to be played outside of Wembley before it was moved to the Millennium Stadium in 2001.
• 1971 saw the longest tie in Cup history. Oxford City and Alvechurch play 6 games for a total of 660 minutes. Alvechurch won the final game 1-0 to progress to the first round proper.
• In 1972 the FA Cup celebrated its 100th birthday (though not its 100th season, due to interruptions for the two world wars). Leeds United won the final against holders Arsenal.
• In 1973, Sunderland A.F.C. created the biggest ever upset in a final when they beat holders Leeds United 1-0. At that time, Leeds were one of Europe's best club sides, whereas Sunderland had been struggling in the Second Division. The goal was scored by Ian Porterfield, but the incredible double save by Sunderland goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery is probably even better remembered.
• The 1973-74 competition saw the record set for the highest number of games played by one club. Bideford played 13 games over five rounds: one for the 1st qualifying round, two for the 2nd qualifying round, five for the 3rd qualifying round, four for the 4th qualifying round, and one for the 1st round proper. Multiple replays no longer take place, so this record is unlikely to be beaten.
• The 1977-78 competition saw New Brighton's 1956-57 nine-round record equalled by Blyth Spartans, who progressed from the 1st qualifying round to the 5th round proper. The games for the 2nd qualifying round and the 5th rounds proper went to a replay.
• The 1979-80 competition saw the nine-round record equalled by Harlow Town, who progressed from the Preliminary round through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Watford. The matches for the 2nd and the 3rd rounds went to a replay.
• In 1980, West Ham United became the last side to date to win the competition from outside the top division in football. They were a Second Division outfit when they beat holders Arsenal 1-0 thanks to a goal by Trevor Brooking. Three clubs - Queens Park Rangers in 1982, Sunderland in 1992 and Millwall in 2004 - have since reached the final, though all three lost.
• In 1983 Norman Whiteside, at 18, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton and Hove Albion. As of 2005 this record remains unbroken.
• In 1984, Johnny Hore's Plymouth Argyle side narrowly missed out on being the first Third Division side to reach the final. In a tense semi-final at Villa Park, Watford came out on top, 1-0 victors. Starting in the first round proper, Argyle had beaten Southend United (on a replay), Barking, Newport County (on a replay), West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (on a replay).
• In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final.
• In 1988 underdogs Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to cause an upset, Lawrie Sanchez scoring a 37th minute header for the Dons from a Dennis Wise free kick. Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant saved a 61st minute John Aldridge penalty in the second half, becoming the first goalkeeper to do so in an FA Cup final. He was also the first goalkeeper to captain a team to FA Cup success.
• In 1989 during the opening minutes of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 96 people were crushed to death because of overcrowding. See the Hillsborough disaster.
• In 1991, after the Arsenal vs Leeds United third round tie went to a third replay, the FA decided that one replay, they extra time, then a penalty shootout would be a suitable alternative to a fixtures backlog.
• In 1993, the final between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday went to a replay and then extra time. The FA decided that important neutral venue ties from then on, such as the semi-final and final, should be decided "on the day".
• In 1997 Division Two (or level three) side Chesterfield narrowly and controversially missed out on becoming the first side from outside the top two divisions to reach an FA Cup final, having led 2-0 against 10-man Middlesbrough. With the score at 2-1, a shot hit the bar and went over the line but was disallowed by referee David Elleray. The Spireites instead were pegged back to 2-2. Extra time ended 3-3 but Middlesbrough won the replay convincingly to meet Chelsea in the final at Wembley.
• In 1997, Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0.
• Also in 1997, the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final was scored by Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo after 43 seconds.
• 2000 was the last final to be played at the old Wembley stadium. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0.
• The first FA Cup final played outside of England was in the final of the 2000/2001 season at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Liverpool came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. Arsenal went back to Wales the following two seasons to win the Cup.
• For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the 2002/2003 season, held on May 17, 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefitting from cover from the rain (Arsenal were the 1 - 0 winners).
• That same year, Team Bath (from the University of Bath) became the first university team to enter the competition since Gonville & Caius in 1881, and progressed through the qualifying rounds before being knocked out in the first round proper by Mansfield Town.
• In 2003 Tony Roberts became the first goalkeeper to score in a FA Cup fixture.
• In 2004 Roy Keane of Manchester United became the first player to play in six finals since the 19th century, and Curtis Weston of Millwall F.C. became the youngest ever player to play in the final at the age of 17 years and 119 days, beating the record of James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers set as long back as the 1879 final.
• In 2004, Yeading from the Isthmian Premiership were drawn at home against FA Premiership side Newcastle United. This marked the first time two teams six divisions apart had faced each other in the cup. Newcastle won the match 2-0.
• The 2005 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Arsenal was the first final ever to have to go to penalties. After ordinary time and extra time, the score was still 0-0. Arsenal won the shootout – and thus the Cup – 5-4.
• During the 2005 final, José Antonio Reyes became the second man to ever be sent off in an FA Cup Final, when he was dismissed for a second yellow card at the end of extra time. Roy Keane extended his own record by appearing in his seventh final.

• The first match at the new Wembley Stadium is scheduled to be the FA Cup Final to be held on May 13, 2006.

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