One would have to go back to season 1907-08 to find only one top-flight side in the last four of the FA Cup.
This season, Premier League side Portsmouth are joined by three Championship outfits, namely, Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion.
The feats of the giant-killers have given the competition a much-needed shot in the arm and silenced the critics who questioned the magic of the FA Cup.
The doubters who repeatedly mocked the drama and pedigree of the tournament for much of the past decade have also been forced to eat their words.
This season, the English FA decided that both semi-finals will be played at the new Wembley Stadium. West Brom take on Portsmouth this afternoon while Barnsley-Cardiff will take place tomorrow.
All four sides are expected to fight until they drop in their bid to emerge victorious and return to the same venue on May 17 for the final.
A century ago, the odd team out were Newcastle United, who played in the (old) Division One.
Fulham and Wolves represented Division Two and Southampton hailed from the 'famous' Southern League.
In the semi-finals, Wolves defeated the Saints 2-0 while the Magpies had run riot against the Cottagers, routing them 6-0.
On that occasion, the cup went to the underdogs as Wolves toppled Newcastle 3-1 at Crystal Palace.
Portsmouth, the clear favourites to lift the silverware, have already eliminated three Championship sides and conceded only one goal on their way to the semis.
West Brom let in four goals (only side to be involved in a replay, and then a penalty shoot-out) as figures underneath show the four teams' paths to semi-finals:
Portsmouth: Ipswich (away) 1-0, Plymouth (home) 2-1, Preston (away) 1-0, Manchester United (away) 1-0.
Barnsley: Blackpool (home) 2-1, Southend (away) 1-0, Liverpool (away) 2-1, Chelsea (home) 1-0.
Cardiff City: Chasetown (away) 3-1, Hereford (away) 2-1, Wolves (home) 2-0, Middlesbrough (away 2-0).
West Brom: Charlton (away) 1-1, replay 2-2, won 4-3 on penalties, Peterborough (away) 3-0, Coventry (away) 5-0, Bristol Rovers (away) 5-1.
Statistics about semi-finalists:
This will be West Brom's 20th semi-final (they are placed fifth in all-time list) and Portsmouth's sixth. Cardiff will be appearing in the last four for the fourth time and Barnsley for the third.
The Albion went on to reach 10 finals (in sixth position in honours list, on a par with Aston Villa), that produced five FA Cup wins.
Their rivals Pompey have reached this milestone three times and lifted the silverware once.
The Bluebirds and the Tykes progressed to two finals, emerging victorious once each.
In past FA Cup duels, West Brom lead Portsmouth 3-1. On the occasions they have met, Albion, twice, and Pompey, once, went on to lift the cup.
1967-68 (fourth round)
Portsmouth-West Brom 1-2
1955-56 fourth round)
West Brom-Portsmouth 2-0
1938-39 (fourth round)
Portsmouth-West Brom 2-0
1930-31 (fifth round)
Portsmouth-West Brom 0-1
The head-to-head record between Barnsley and Cardiff City is even since each club won one tie each:
1966-67 (third round)
Barnsley-Cardiff City 1-1
Replay: City won 2-1
1956-57 (fourth round)
Cardiff City-Barnsley 0-1
Glorious Barnsley
The best performances in past rounds came from Barnsley, who won 2-1 at Liverpool and then went on to oust holders Chelsea 1-0 at home.
The Tykes wanted to show that their great display at Anfield was no fluke as manager Simon Davey then masterminded another remarkable plot against the Londoners.
Barnsley and Cardiff have met once in the Championship this season at the Oakwell Ground, drawing 1-1 (Howard-Hasselbaink).
The return fixture at Ninian Park will be played on the last day of the campaign.
While David Jones's Bluebirds are in mid-table, Barnsley are still struggling to escape relegation, being just above the drop zone.
The contestants have won the FA Cup once in their history, as mentioned already. Cardiff became the first non-English side to win the trophy, taking it to Wales after their win over Arsenal in 1927.
Barnsley defeated one of the other semi-finalists this year, West Brom, in the final in 1912.
Goalkeeper Luke Steele, who was on loan at Barnsley when the Tykes stunned Liverpool and Chelsea, has now re-signed for West Brom. He will sign a permanent deal with the Albion at the end of his loan spell in May.
Cardiff boss Jones is glad to have defender Kevin McNaughton back from injury, while striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will also return after a three-match suspension.
If Cardiff go all the way to lift the Cup, they will have a problem with the FA since they will not be guaranteed a place in the UEFA Cup as they represent the Welsh FA. The latter have denied Cardiff permission to continue to participate in the Welsh Cup after City opted not to leave the Football League. Yet, Uefa president Michel Platini has pledged to help Cardiff if they win the FA Cup.
On paper, Portsmouth will not have a better chance to reach the top step of the winning podium for the first time since 1939, when they defeated Wolves in the final.
Pompey boss Harry Redknapp, 61, is savouring every moment since he defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals.
Redknapp is within touching distance of claiming a major trophy for the first time in his long career.
West Brom boast a fine cup tradition. Their last success in the tournament came in 1968, beating Everton.
Manager Tony Mowbray has told the players to concentrate on promotion to the Premier League as well, since he is keen to test his wits against other Scottish managers in the top echelon of the English game.
Mowbray, who was full of praise for his hat-trick hero Ishmael Miller in the 5-1 win over Bristol Rovers, said that Portsmouth would be a totally different proposition as they possess some fantastic international players.