Wembley nearly lost control of its first ever match.
103 years ago today, the brand-new Empire Stadium hosted its inaugural fixture: the FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. The official attendance was 126,047. The actual attendance was probably somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000.
Built in 300 days. 25,000 tons of concrete. 1,500 tons of steel. Half a million rivets. £750,000. Designed for 127,000 people. The FA, worried it might not fill, decided not to make the match all-ticket.
It overflowed. Catastrophically.
The terraces filled. The trackside filled. The pitch itself filled. Mounted police were sent in to clear the playing surface. The most famous of them was PC George Scorey, on a horse named Billie.
Billie was grey. But in the high-contrast monochrome photography of 1923, grey looked white. The cameras gave the day its legend.
Kick-off was delayed 45 minutes. Once the pitch was finally clear, David Jack scored within three minutes for Bolton. Joe Smith added a second after the break. Bolton won 2-0 — and lifted the first ever trophy at Wembley.
But nobody remembers the goals.
They remember the chaos. They remember Billie. They remember the photograph.
Every FA Cup Final since has been all-ticket.
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Yesterday: 27 April 1974 — The Saddest Backheel in Manchester.
Tomorrow: 29 April 1971 — the Basque missionary priest who silenced La Plata.