Arsenal were the first club from the south of England to join the Football League in 1893, and they were promoted to the First Division in 1904.
Having been relegated only once, in 1913, they continued their longest run in the top flight and won their second
During the 1930s, Arsenal won five league championships and two FA Cups, and after the war another FA Cup and two championships.
In the 1970–71 season they won their first League and FA Cup double.
Between 1989 and 2005 they won five league titles and five FA Cups, including two more doubles.
They finished the 20th century with the highest average position in the league.
From 1998 to 2017, Arsenal qualified for the UEFA Champions League for nineteen consecutive seasons.
In 1886, war workers from the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich founded a club called Dial Square.
In 1913 the club moved across town to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, becoming close neighbors of Tottenham Hotspur and creating the North London derby.
Herbert Chapman, who changed Arsenal's fortunes forever, won the club's first trophies and his legacy led the club to dominance in the 1930s.
He helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights and jersey numbers;
Arsene Wenger is the club's longest-serving manager and has won the most trophies for the club.
He won a record seven FA Cups and his title-winning side set the English record for the longest unbeaten run in the top flight at 49 games between 2003 and 2004, earning the nickname "The Invincibles".
In 2006 the club moved to the nearby Emirates Stadium.
With annual revenues of £367.1 million for the 2021–22 season, Arsenal are valued by Forbes at US$2.26 billion, making them the tenth largest football club in the world and one of the most popular on social media.
The club's motto is Victoria Concordia Crescit, which is Latin for "Victory through Harmony."
In October 1886, Scotsman David Danskin and fifteen fellow war workers from Woolwich founded Dial Square Football Club, named after the workshop at the heart of the Royal Arsenal complex.
Each member contributed sixpence, and Danskin also contributed three shillings to help form the club.
Dial Square played its first match on 11 December 1886 against Eastern Wanderers and won 6–0.
By January 1887 the club had been renamed Royal Arsenal and their first home was Plumstead Common, although they spent most of their time playing at the Manor Ground.
Their first trophies were the Kent Senior Cup and the London Charity Cup in 1889–90, and the London Senior Cup in 1890–91;
In 1891, Royal Arsenal became the first London club to turn professional.