Surely many people will remember the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the curious animal that stole the spotlight. It was an octopus, and his name was Paul. And Paul had a supernatural ability: he could predict the winners of matches. He did so on eight occasions in the World Cup.
The procedure was more or less like this:
- They placed two transparent ballot boxes inside his aquarium.
- Each box had the flag for one of the teams that were going to play.
- Inside both boxes there was food, usually mussels.
- The octopus approached and opened one of the boxes first.
- The team of the chosen box was declared the winner of the prediction.
Over time, Paul gained popularity and many eagerly awaited his predictions and even placed money bets based on what the cephalopod indicated.
Videos of his performances can still be found on social media, and many remember him fondly. What stands out most is that he strung together several correct predictions, exceeding the 50% success rate one would think is normal if it were left to chance.
His most frequently cited total record is: Euro 2008: 4/6. World Cup 2010: 8/8. Total: 12/14 (85,7%).
But how did the beloved octopus die?
Paul left this world peacefully and naturally, fortunately. He died on 26 October 2010 at the Sea Life Oberhausen aquarium, shortly after gaining fame for his World Cup predictions. The caretakers reported that he passed away from natural causes associated with age. And octopuses have short lives: many species live only between 2 and 3 years, and Paul was already near the end of his life cycle when he became famous.
The aquarium paid him a small tribute and preserved part of his legacy as a historical curiosity of the 2010 South Africa World Cup.