The Super Bowl – the biggest event in the US sporting calendar – does not fall short of incredible moments that have fans on the edge of their seats.
From high-pressured performances on stage to the gruelling chase of the ball – the 57th edition of the Super Bowl will be no different as the Eagles and Chiefs go head to head.
Before the big game, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back at the most iconic moments in NFL history.
Santonio Holmes scores in the last few seconds
Image: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Pic: AP
Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa Bay, 2009 saw the Pittsburgh Steelers claim a dramatic victory against the Cardinals.
With 35 seconds left on the clock, a perfectly placed ball in the back corner of the end zone was grabbed in a victorious occasion by Santonio Holmes – breaking the hearts of many Cardinals fans, as the Steelers took the win.
The Blackout Bowl in 2013
Image: San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders perform during a power outage at the Superdome in 2013. Pic: AP
Super Bowl XLVII had a 34-minute delay due to a power outage, plunging parts of the Superdome into darkness.
At the height of a nail-biting clash between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers most of the lights in the 73,000-seat building went out.
Officials revealed that an “abnormality” in the power system triggered an automatic shutdown, which forced backup systems to kick in, according to the official NFL site.
Taking a knee
Image: San Francisco 49ers Eric Reid (35) and Colin Kaepernick (7) take a knee during the National Anthem at an NFL football game in 2016
A protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
The act of solidarity first started in 2016 with quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a knee, followed by other players.
This was in response to former President Donald Trump‘s remarks and the oppression against black people across the country.
During the Super Bowl half-time show in 2022, rapper Eminem took a knee.
Image: Eminem and Dr Dre perform in the half-time show during the NFL Super Bowl in 2022. Pic: AP
As speculation began about over NFL resisting the gesture, the football league quickly pushed back and denied the reports.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception
Image: Malcolm Butler pulled off an incredible catch to win the Super Bowl for New England Patriots (L). Pic: AP
Super Bowl XLIX saw an unforgettable save that had the crowds roaring.
With a few seconds left on the clock,New England Patriots cornerbackMalcolm Butler brilliantly caught the ball in the end zone to deny Seattle Seahawks.
“Unreal,” shouted the commentator as Butler sealed the Patriots’ victory.
The Wide Right or 47 Wide Right by Scott Norwood
Super Bowl XXV might seem like a distant memory, but it is indeed a scene many fans remember.
It was ready, set, go for a field goal attempt by the Bills.
Norwood was ready to make his move but ended up kicking the ball wide right.
“It is no good,” the commentator said as the victory was given to the Giants in a 20-19 win.
Super Bowl LI saw a tie at 28-28 between the Falcons and Patriots.
After a nerve-wracking coin toss, the Patriots became were victorious within four minutes of overtime.
James White ran with the ball through the field and grappled through the crowd for the final touchdown.
An epic win that will surely be remembered.
Destiny’s Child reunite
Image: Beyonce reunites with, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Pic: AP
Beyonce always has a way of capturing the hearts of her fans and her reunion with Destiny’s Child in 2013 will live long in the memory.
Queen Bey took centre stage with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for the half-time show of Super Bowl XLVII.
It was a blast from the past, as fans were heard roaring to the sound of their famous track Bootylicious.
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake
Image: Janet Jackson performed with Justin Timberlake. Pic: AP
Justin Timberlake rocked the stage with his Rock Your Body hit song, along with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl XXXVIII half-time show.
Towards the final few seconds of the song, Timberlake ripped Jackson’s top open, briefly exposing her breast on stage.
Dubbed “nipplegate”, Timberlake infamously described it as an unintended “wardrobe malfunction”.
CBS, which had aired that year’s Super Bowl, was fined $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission – but it was later was overturned.
David Tyree’s Helmet Catch
Image: New York Giants receiver David Tyree (85) holds on by his fingertips to a 32-yard pass. Pic: AP
Super Bowl XLII 2008 shocked many with the New York Giants Tyree’s epic helmet catch that is seen as one of the greatest plays in NFL history.
In the heat of the game, with two minutes to spare, the ball shot its way through the field after a forward pass.
Tyree took a perfectly timed leap, catching the ball and pressing it against his helmet.
The Coin toss
Image: Billie Jean King flips the coin before the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game. Pic: AP
In 2022, Tennis legend Billie Jean King conducted the coin toss ahead of the Super Bowl LVI.
King was honorary coin toss captain along with members of the California School for the Deaf-Riverside Cubs and members of the girls’ youth tackle football players from the Inglewood Chargers and the Watts Rams.
King conducted the toss to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark sports gender equality legislation.
Title IX was passed in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments, which abolishes sex-based discrimination in school, universities and other educational programmes.
As President Trump claims he is “close” to signing a mining deal with Ukraine, and his secretary of state Marco Rubio talks about a lack of “gratitude” from President Zelenskyy for US military assistance, our US correspondents Mark Stone, Martha Kelner and James Matthews discuss if this is the real reason Trump’s administration appears to have turned its back on Ukraine.
And, why Canada is taking its feud with Donald Trump on to the ice.
Donald Trump has purged top military figures in the Pentagon, including firing America’s most senior commander.
He also pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of US military leadership.
The Pentagon had been bracing for mass firings of civilian staff as well as a dramatic overhaul of its budget and a shift in military deployments.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown – America’s highest-ranking general and only the second black general to serve as chairman – was fired with immediate effect.
The president will also replace the head of the US Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, and the Air Force vice chief of staff, the Pentagon said.
He is also removing the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force, critical positions that ensure enforcement of military justice.
The campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks has been condemned by Democrats.
There is nothing apolitical about Trump
By David Blevins, Sky News correspondent
The purge of America’s top military officials, carried out by President Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, is unprecedented, writes Sky News correspondent David Blevins, in Washington.
Their dismissal late on Friday sent shockwaves through the defence establishment and raised concerns about the direction of military leadership.
General Charles Q Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was abruptly removed two years into his four-year term.
America’s most senior military officer comes into office two years into a presidential term, meaning they serve under two presidents.
The role is intended to be apolitical but there is no such thing as non-partisan politics in the Trump playbook.
Brown’s tenure had been marked by a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, putting him at odds with the administration.
Prior to his appointment as defence secretary, Hegseth questioned Brown’s promotion, hinting that it had been influenced by race.
In his book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth wrote: “The military standards, once the hallmark for competency, professionalism, and ‘mission first’ outcomes, have officially been subsumed by woke priorities.”
Supporters of the administration argue the changes are necessary to refocus military priorities in line with the president’s objectives.
But critics contend that such a sweeping overhaul of leadership undermines the apolitical nature of the military and unsettles the rank and file.
Rhode Island’s senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “Firing uniformed officers as a type of political loyalty test… erodes the trust and professionalism that our servicemembers require to achieve their missions.”
Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the firings were “un-American, unpatriotic, and dangerous for our troops and our national security.”
“This is the definition of politicising our military,” he said.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “Firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our servicemembers require to achieve their missions.”
During the election, Mr Trump spoke of firing “woke” generals and those he saw as responsible for the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Defence secretary and former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth has questioned whether General Brown would have got the job if he were not black.
There is no indication his appointment was not based on merit.
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On Friday, Mr Trump said: “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
It’s unclear who Mr Trump will choose to replace the judge advocates. Mr Hegseth previously criticised military lawyers, saying most “spend more time prosecuting our troops than putting away bad guys”.
Dozens of supporters were outside court as the man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare made his first appearance.
Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder following the 4 December killing of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.
The 26-year-old is accused of ambushing and shooting the executive as he walked to an investor conference.
Image: Luigi Mangione supporters stand outside the Supreme Court. Pic: AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah
Dozens of people who showed up in court to support the suspect including former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning who was jailed for stealing classified diplomatic cables.
Dozens more queued in the hallway.
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Mangione is also facing federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty.
The judge set a deadline of 9 April to submit pre-trial motions.
Image: Luigi Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson. Pic: Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP
In addition to the New York cases, Mr Mangione also faces charges of forgery, carrying firearms without a licence, and other counts in Pennsylvania, where authorities arrested him at a McDonald’s.
Police say he was in possession of a gun, bullets, multiple fake IDs and a handwritten document that expressed “ill will” towards corporate America.
He is being held in a Brooklyn jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, and disgraced crypto entrepreneurSam Bankman-Fried.
The killing prompted some to voice their resentment at US health insurers, with Mangione attracting a cult following.
A poll taken in the wake of the shooting showed most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials were partly to blame for the incident.