FA Cup

On July 20, 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, C. W. Alcock proposed to The Football Association committee that "it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete". The proposition was carried and the inaugural FA Cup tournament, the oldest association football competition in the world, kicked off in November 1871.

The second FA Cup trophy, used between 1896 and 1910.

In the first-ever final of the FA Cup, Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London on March 16, 1872. 2,000 spectators attended the game.

Wanderers F.C, were a team of former public schoolboys based in London, who went on to win the competition five times in its first seven seasons.

The early winners of the competition were all teams of wealthy amateurs from the south of England, but in the 1883 final, Blackburn Olympic became the first team from the north to win the cup, defeating Old Etonians.

Sheffield United were leading the 1902 FA Cup Final against Southampton when, with two minutes to play, the ball reached Southampton's captain Harry Wood who was in an offside position tying up his bootlaces. He scored, no extra time was played and the result was a 1–1 draw. Referee Tom Kirkham was forced to take refuge in a broom cupboard to evade angry Sheffield United goalkeeper William "Fatty" Foulke.  Sheffield United won the replay 2–1. 

The 1923 FA Cup final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United took place on April 28, 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. It was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium, and King George V was in attendance to present the trophy to the winning team. The match wrote itself into football folklore, not just for the action on the pitch, but for the mayhem beforehand.  Crowds, estimated to be double the stadium's official capacity, stormed the pitch, forcing a 45-minute delay. Mounted police, immortalized in a now-famous photograph (one featuring a grey horse), finally cleared the field.  West Ham started strong, but Bolton dominated, ultimately winning 2-0 thanks to goals from David Jack and Jack Smith (with the latter's goal sparking some debate). King George V, perhaps relieved the game actually happened, presented the trophy to the victorious Bolton.

On April 23, 1927, Cardiff City defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup Final at the Wembley Stadium. This was a significant victory as Cardiff City became the first and only non-English team to win the competition. Hughie Ferguson scored the only goal of the match, securing the win for Cardiff City. The victory was celebrated in Wales, and the team's achievement has become a significant part of Welsh football history.

The 1933 FA Cup Final played between Everton and Manchester City on April 29, 1933 was the first time that players wore numbered shirts in a competitive football match. Everton wore numbers 1-11, while Manchester City wore numbers 12-22. The match was won by Everton 3-0, with goals from Dixie Dean, Cliff Britton, and Ted Buckle.

The decision to introduce numbered shirts was made by the Football Association (FA) in an effort to make it easier for referees to identify players on the field and to improve the flow of the game. In the years prior to the introduction of numbered shirts, referees would often struggle to identify players who had committed fouls or who were offside, leading to disputes and delays in the game. The use of numbered shirts helped to reduce confusion and make the job of the referee much easier.

The BBC used commentators for the first time at the 1936 FA Cup Final.

The first televised FA Cup Final took place on April 30, 1938 between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End. Preston won 1-0 thanks to a penalty dispatched by George Mutch in the last minute of extra time. More people - 93,000 - saw the game at Wembley than on TV, as there were fewer than 10,000 sets in Britain.

Arsenal have won the FA Cup the most times with 13.