SURPRISE HAPPENS

Against All Odds: Let’s Relive 10 Legendary Sports Upsets!

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No victory tastes better than an elusive one. Be it in the realm of sports, everyday life, work, or anywhere else, the achievement that took effort is more appreciated than the one that comes easy.

The team that is expected to lose a competition is called the underdog. For several possible reasons, the odds are stacked against this participant and not much is expected from them. This is why an underdog victory, in true David and Goliath style (ideally not deadly, though), is always surprising and often welcomed. Below are ten examples of this peculiar situation. Did you know about them?

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In the 2007 Super Bowl, the Patriots were a clear favorite: undefeated with a 16-0 record during the regular season and numerous offensive scoring records. The Giants came into the playoffs with a 10-6 record, as a wild card team.

Until the fourth quarter, the two teams only scored a combined 10 points. But that was when things changed unexpectedly. A series of unbelievable plays by the Patriots ended with the winning touchdown by Plaxico Burress that gave the Giants a 17-14 victory. The Giants won the Super Bowl and kept the Patriots from having a truly undefeated season.

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If you ever wondered what 5000-1 odds look like, you can go back to the unbelievable victory achieved by Leicester City in the 2014-2015 Premier League championship.

The modest club that had been lucky to remain in that very league during the previous season, took advantage of down years for the big teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal to become the most unlikely champions in English football.

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Winning a Wimbledon Championship at 17 years old? Check! That is if you are Boris Becker. In the build-up to the 1985 Wimbledon Championships, the 17-year-old German focused his preparations at Queens Club. When he won the warm-up event, commentators declared him a ‘future Wimbledon champion’ – little did they know they’d be proven right three weeks later in the tennis tournament of the summer.

As the tournament progressed and both John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors succumbed to the big-serving South African Kevin Curren, the improbable started to look increasingly likely.

Curren was still the strong favorite when the pair met in the final, but Becker played with a confidence beyond his years and beat the odds.

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Granted, Niki Lauda was no underdog. He was born into a wealthy family in Austria, and at the height of his career, he drove for Ferrari. But, what makes his story so interesting is the fact that he came back from a terrible accident at the Nürburgring in 1976, when he became trapped in his car and suffered very severe burns.

After experiencing those injuries, he returned to the track just six weeks later, appearing at Monza with his burns still bandaged, and only lost the 1976 championship by a point to James Hunt after retiring from the Japanese Grand Prix due to unsafe conditions.

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Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey was not supposed to lose her UFC bantamweight title in her match against Holly Holm. She was at the top of her game and had dominated her last three fights, winning them in 34, 16, and 14 seconds, and positioning her as the heavy favorite.

But the boxing specialist Holm dismissed all that, as she neutralized Rousey's peerless grappling skill and knocked out the favorite with a brutal second-round kick.

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Betting on a team that had won 10 of the last 12 pennants coming into the 1960 World Series would have seemed like a pretty sure thing, right? Think again.

The New York Yankees were the clear favorites but the Pittsburgh Pirates' Bill Mazeroski hit one of the most famous home runs in MLB baseball history in Game 7 and took the championship home.

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The legendary Roger Federer intended to win his sixth consecutive US Open championship in New York and it seemed like a very possible thing for the Swiss to achieve. But things did not go according to plan when the tall Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, the No. 6 seed, managed to upset the then-world No. 1.

Del Potro forced the winner to play five sets before taking the fifth 6-2. Given that Del Potro defeated Federer and never won another major title, this result has never ceased to amaze.

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Being an unknown player in a high-profile tournament is not the kind of thing that makes you an instant favorite, and not even being expected to play adds another layer of uncertainty. John Daly found himself in that very predicament going into the 1991 USPGA Championship.

As it happened, Nick Price withdrew to be at the birth of his first child. And eight players on the alternates list could not get to Crooked Stick, Indianapolis to replace Price. But the ninth reserve got in his car, drove through the night, and arrived there on Thursday ready to play.

Daly became an instant crowd favorite and with their backing went on to defy odds of 1000-1 to win the major.

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And a miracle it was. At least for the audience who might not have been aware of the hard work that led to such an epic victory. The United States men’s Olympic hockey team was not exactly poised to defeat the mighty Soviet hockey machine at the 1980 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey final in Lake Placid. But it did.

The Soviet team had dominated for years, and even the most hopeful wondered if the United States would even score in the game, let alone win. Instead, Team USA pulled off an amazing upset, winning the game 4-3 and earning themselves a place in history.

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Living up to your nickname can be hard if it is "The Greatest". But that was not the case for the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, who regained his heavyweight title after three years of exile.

The road was not a direct path to glory as, upon his return, he lost to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. But the unthinkable (for most) happened after that when he beat the fearsome George Foreman who had dismantled Norton and Frazier both inside two brutal rounds.

Ali’s tactics in the "Rumble in the Jungle" saw him knock out an exhausted Foreman in the eighth round and win back the heavyweight title at the ripe age of 32.

TOXIC TEMPTATIONS

10 Poisonous Foods We Cannot Resist

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Sometimes, the most enticing fruit is the most dangerous. But humans love to gamble at the edge of the abyss, and food is no exception. Despite the risks, we continue to indulge in some of these toxic treats.

From exotic delicacies to ordinary dishes, these 10 foods come with a hidden danger, yet we cannot resist them.

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Fugu, a Japanese delicacy, is a species of pufferfish that contains tetrodotoxin, a deadly neurotoxin. Improper preparation can lead to paralysis or even death, so most specialized restaurants that serve this dish are heavily regulated and chefs are required to have three or more years of rigorous training. Despite this, fugu is considered a prized seafood delicacy in Japan and in international cuisine.

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Common in Caribbean cuisine, the unripened ackee fruit contains hypoglycin, a type of toxin that can induce a dangerous syndrome known as the Jamaican Vomiting Sickness. However, when ripe and prepared correctly, ackee offers a unique buttery taste and important nutritional value. The ackee belongs to the same botanical family as the lychee, which can also contain minor quantities of the toxin when unripened.

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Known by many names, cassava is a staple in South American cuisine, despite containing relatively high levels of cyanide. When eaten raw, or improperly processed, cassava can induce severe poisoning, but for most varieties, cooking is enough to get rid of the toxins. Despite its dangers, the starchy tuber remains a dietary mainstay in tropical regions, providing sustenance for millions.

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Rhubarb stalks are a beloved ingredient in pies and desserts, but their leaves contain oxalic acid, which is toxic to humans and can lead to the formation of kidney stones or even kidney failure in acute cases. Despite warnings, some mistakenly incorporate them into dishes, likely due to their similarity to spinach leaves, risking severe illness.

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Elderberries are often used as medicinal plants as well as in jams and wines, but the raw berries (and most parts of the plant) are poisonous. The elderberry plant contains cyanogenic glycosides, substances that can release cyanide when unprocessed. However, it is very easy to get rid of the dangerous toxin, and elderberries have many nutritional benefits, being a great source of both antioxidants and vitamin C.

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The source of deadly ricin, a potent toxin, the seeds of the castor bean are highly toxic if ingested raw. The Guinness World Records even recognizes the castor bean as the world's most poisonous common plant. Despite their danger, they find use in traditional medicines and some cuisines, but their lethal potential demands careful handling and processing.

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In large doses, nutmeg contains myristicin, which can induce hallucinations, nausea, and even convulsions. Despite its latent toxicity, nutmeg is a popular spice in both sweet and savory dishes, albeit it is hardly dangerous in flavoring amounts. However, pregnant women should avoid consuming nutmeg if possible due to its potential to induce premature labor and miscarriages.

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Raw or undercooked red kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, a type of lectin that can cause severe gastrointestinal distress. Boiling the beans for at least 30 minutes is recommended to ensure the toxin is destroyed. Cooking at lower temperatures (as in a slow cooker) might be insufficient to remove the lectin, leading to many cases of food poisoning.

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The seemingly harmless almond can contain amygdalin, a naturally occurring chemical that breaks down into cyanide when ingested. However, only bitter almonds represent a danger, with sweet almonds being completely safe to eat unprocessed. The bitter varieties are often required by law to be carefully processed in order to remove the toxic compounds.

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Bet you didn’t expect the humble potato to be included in this list! Green or raw potatoes contain solanine, a toxic alkaloid that can cause nausea, vomiting, and neurological issues if consumed in large quantities. The toxic compound protects the potato plant from its predators, but luckily most forms of cooking are sufficient to completely remove the dangerous alkaloid.