Seven years ago, the Paul Octopus was more popular than any superstar. His predictions at the 2010 World Cup were watched by the whole world. How did this mollusk manage to accurately predict the outcome of football matches?
Biography
The future seer was born in England on November 6, 2007. He received his name in honor of the hero of a children's work, which was written by Boy Lornsen. The servants of the marine animal park from birth noted the extraordinary abilities of the octopus Paul. He was unusually quick-witted, and his intelligence was higher than that of the other octopuses. I was not at all afraid of people. When a person approached the aquarium, he tried to swim closer and show off in front of him in various poses. Such friendliness and curiosity distinguished him among the other inhabitants of the park.
First predictions
After moving to a place of residence in Germany, the octopus Paul felt at home. In the new park, he still showed cordiality to all visitors and employees. They decided to test the psychic abilities of the new inhabitant in the summer of 2008, during the European Football Championship. The scheme was primitive - two absolutely identical feeders with the flag of Germany and its rival were put into the aquarium. The octopus was supposed to open the box, thereby indicating the winner. The group stage began, and before Paul were two transparent boxes symbolizing the German and Polish teams. The forecaster confidently swam to the already native flag and climbed into the feeding trough. All Germany, with bated breath, was waiting for the results of the match, and the forecast of the octopus came true!
The next rival of the Germans was Croatia. Paul chose a feeding trough and again predicted a victory for his compatriots. However, the team blew the match with a score of 1: 2, which significantly reduced public interest in the octopus psychic. For some time he was left alone, and he continued to live in his aquarium in the city of Oberhausen. For two years he grew up and developed his abilities in order to then prove his gift to the whole world.
Predictions of Octopus Paul
The staff of the park thoroughly prepared for the World Cup. If the last time the feeders were simply lowered into the aquarium, now the matter has taken a completely different turn. For the clairvoyant they built a real spiritual study, with all the surroundings characteristic of this place. Each session was covered by the press and broadcast on television. As before, two containers of delicious treats were placed in front of Paul, and the octopus made its predictions.
Once a year and the stick shoots
In the first game, Australia became the rival of the German team. The forecaster chose a manger with the flag of Germany. There was not much excitement around the victory and the correct prediction of the octopus. Anyone who was even a little familiar with the game of the Australian team could predict the victory of the Germans. Everyone concluded that it was a mere coincidence. No one was even embarrassed by the fact that the octopus did not have the opportunity to watch the matches of the Australians. But even if he had, then he would hardly have understood the meaning of the whole action and placed him on a known favorite.
Surprise
The next time, the octopus Paul predicted a loss in a match with Serbia. After that, they decided to simply ignore his forecasts. In fact - where is the German national team and where are the Serbs? What chance can they have against the favorite of the World Cup? No other than an octopus just pokes tentacles at random. What was the surprise of the whole world when the players of the national team of Serbia won. It was impossible to believe in it, but the fact remained. No one else laughed at the friendly psychic, and a real pilgrimage began in the park. Everyone wanted to see Paul’s super octopus and take a picture with him as a keepsake.
Triumph
The hype in Germany around the mollusk immediately swept the whole world. His photographs at the time of choosing the winner were printed by all reputable publications. Reporters from around the world rushed to Germany to shoot an amazing octopus. On the Internet, he became the number one star. Often there were cases of forgery when, shortly before the start of the match, photos of Paul were thrown in, where the German flag was replaced with the banner of the opponent’s country. So the fans from the Netherlands were fooled shortly before the match. They already believed in the victory of their team, but the Dutch press apologized and admitted to using Photoshop. By the way, after the defeat, there were many who wanted from Holland to cook soup from Paul. But loyal fans carefully watched their favorite and would not give him an insult.
Bookmakers hate and hurt
After the second correct prediction, Paul had enemies. All bookmakers hated the octopus - this underwater clairvoyant left no intrigue. In order not to lose profit and leave fans to bet on sports at least some interest, it was decided to announce the results of the predictions after the last bets have been accepted. In total, Paul made six predictions and 4 times correctly pointed out Germany as the winner. After the insulting defeat of Spain, the Germans themselves wanted to get this octopus for lunch. Rumors persisted on the Internet that the seer had been specially knocked down by placing the obviously better feed in the burger feeder. Park workers denied this gossip. In the end, the old woman is a bummer, and this is just an octopus. Do not demand from him one hundred percent result.
Latest Predictions
The German team could only fight for bronze. This time, Paul did not disappoint and correctly presented the victory to the Germans. But there was a decisive match for the World Cup ahead, and the octopus decided to entrust the fate of the Spaniards and the Dutch. The tentacles confidently reached the manger with the flag of Spain, and soon their team was already celebrating the victory. In honor of this grand event, Paul received an exact copy of the cup. This was the last time an octopus predicted results. Employees said that he will no longer make predictions. The army of fans bitterly regretted this. But now no one in the world wondered: “What is the octopus Paul?” Every sports fan knew and loved this good-natured, sweet mollusk.
