In October 1886, Scotsman David Danskin and fifteen fellow munitions workers in Woolwich formed Dial Square Football Club, named after a workshop at the heart of the Royal Arsenal complex. Each member contributed sixpence and Danskin also added three shillings to help form the club. Dial Square played their first match on 11 December 1886 against Eastern Wanderers and won 6-0. The club was renamed Royal Arsenal a month later.

Plumstead Common was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 ("Plumstede"). The name refers to a place where plums grow. Royal Arsenal F.C.'s first home was playing on the common, though they spent most of their time playing at the Manor Ground. In 1913, the club moved to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, North London.

Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join the Football League, in 1893, and they reached the First Division in 1904. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division, and have won the second-most top-flight matches in English football history.

With a new stadium and First Division football, attendance more than doubled from the Manor Ground, and Arsenal's budget grew rapidly. Their location and record-breaking salary offer lured star Huddersfield Town manager Herbert Chapman in 1925. Over the next five years, Chapman built a new Arsenal. He offered lavish salaries to stars like David Jack and Alex James. With record-breaking spending and gate receipts, Arsenal quickly became known as the Bank of England club.

On 14 December 1935, Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 7-1. This result still stands as Arsenal's biggest away win in the league. Incredibly, striker Ted Drake scored all seven Arsenal goals with a heavily strapped knee. That remains the highest haul in a single game for any football league player.

Ask any Arsenal fan, and they will tell you they're a "Gooner" for life. The origin of the term is uncertain, although some sources say the name was started by Tottenham fans as an insult, but nevertheless was adopted by Arsenal fans who quite liked it.

The club mascot is Gunnersaurus Rex, a smiling, 7-foot-tall green dinosaur, who first appeared at a home match against Manchester City in August 1994. He is based on a drawing by then 11-year-old Peter Lovell, whose design won a Junior Gunners contest. The dino's official back story is that he hatched from an egg found during renovations at Highbury.

Herbert Chapman changed the fortunes of Arsenal forever. He won the club its first silverware, and his legacy led the club to dominate the 1930s, but Chapman died in 1934 (at age 55) of pneumonia. As manager, he helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights, and shirt numbers. He also added the white sleeves and brighter red to the club's jersey.

Arsenal won the Premier League in 2003-04 without losing a single match, an achievement which earned the side the nickname "The Invincibles".

As a 16-year-old, Cesc Fàbregas didn't expect to break into the first team immediately but looked up to senior players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, while concentrating on training and learning the English language. He nevertheless made his debut for Arsenal not long after, on 28 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United. In doing so, he became Arsenal's youngest-ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.