Arsenal History & Highlights

1886: Arsenal was founded by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, southeast London. The team was originally called Dial Square, but the name was subsequently changed to Royal Arsenal and, eventually, Arsenal Football Club. Supporters of Arsenal refer to the team as the Gunners.

1893: Arsenal joined The Football League.

1904: Arsenal entered the First Division.

1913: Arsenal was relegated to the Second Division and remained there until competitive play was resumed following World War I in 1919. This remains the only time for Arsenal to suffer relegation.

6 September, 1913: Arsenal Stadium opened. Colloquially called "Highbury," its capacity was 73,000 and the now-demolished stadium is still referred to as the "Home of Football" by Arsenal supporters.

1929 - 1930 Season: Arsenal finished the season ranked 14th, but won their first FA cup by defeating Huddersfield Town 2 - 0 at old Wembley Stadium. This was a sign of success to come under manager Herbert Chapman.

1930 - 1931 Season: Arsenal won the First Division for the first time. The team was led by Cliff "Boy" Bastin.

1930 - 1938: Arsenal won the First Division five out of eight seasons. The team was managed by Chapman for the first two championships, until he died on 6 January, 1934 from pneumonia contracted on a scouting trip. Joe Shaw took over as caretaker manager for the completion of the 1933 - 1934 season, which Arsenal held on to win, its third title at the time. George Allison became manager following the 1934 season and his squads added championships in the 1934 - 1934 and 1937 - 1938 seasons.

1947 - 1948 Season: Arsenal won the First Division with Tom Whittaker as manager. This was the 2nd season since play resumed following a hiatus during World War II.

1952 - 1953 Season: Arsenal won the First Division. Manager Whittaker would later die of a heart attack suffered on 24 October, 1956.

1970 - 1971 Season: Arsenal won the First Division and the FA Cup for the first time. They were the 4th team to win a League and Cup double.

1988 - 1989 Season: Arsenal won the First Division.

1990 - 1991 Season: Arsenal won the First Division.

1997 - 1998 Season: Arsenal won the newly-formed Premier League for the first time, its 11th championship all-time and first under new manager Arsène Wenger. Wenger still manages the club in 2016. They also won the League and cup double for a 2nd time.

2001 - 2002 Season: Arsenal won the Premier League. This season Arsenal was undefeated on the road and had a full season goal differential of +43. Arsenal won the League and Cup double for a record third time. This record was later tied by Manchester United in 1999. The club was led by Thierry Henry, who would become Arsenal's top goalscorer all-time on 17 October, 2005. He left the club after the 2006 - 2007 season and scored 174 goals.

2003 - 2004 Season: Arsenal won the Premier League, which was its 13th championship in the First Division. This was the club's most-recent championship and third under manager Arsène Wenger. Arsenal completed the 38-game season unbeaten and this group is referred to as "The Invincibles." Over the course of the 2002 - 2003, 2003 - 2004 and 2004 - 2005 seasons, Arsenal went 49 matches without a loss. During this time they had 13 draws. The streak was eventually broken in a 2 - 0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 24 October, 2004.

(Photo via Ed g2s)

22 July, 2006: Emirates Stadium opened and was originally called Ashburton Grove before the naming rights were sold. The stadium hosted a record attendance of 60,161 on 3 November, 2007 for a match between Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal's record at Emirates at the end of the 2015 - 2016 season was 190 wins, 63 draws and 35 losses in Premier League play.

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