Miracle on Ice (1980)

The 1980 Miracle on Ice ranks as the biggest upset in sports history. A team of 20 American college players, averaging just 21 years old, defeated the Soviet Union's four-time gold medalist hockey powerhouse 4-3 at Lake Placid. The Soviet team had won 27 of their previous 29 Olympic games and held a 7-3 pre-Olympic exhibition record against the U.S. This victory outperforms #2 Jesse Owens' 1936 feat in terms of sheer improbability: the U.S. had a 1,000-to-1 betting odds against them. With 40 million Americans watching, it became a Cold War symbol of hope.