Having called the ground home since 1924, the Glaziers added floodlights in 1953, initially standing on poles on the Park Road terracing (the side of the Arthur Wait stand) and on the Main Stand roof.
And it was on this date in some 70 years ago that Palace's lights were officially opened by chairman David Harris ahead of a friendly against Chelsea. Despite the club then competing in the Third Division South, they grabbed a spirited 1-1 draw against the top-flight Blues.
The FA had only recently relinquished a ban on floodlit football, but matches under the lights still needed the permission of the County FA and the competition’s organisers. Nonetheless, clubs began to understand the potential the floodlights brought.
Swindon Town were the first Football League team to introduce floodlights, and many followed, with glamorous friendlies taking place to celebrate. Arsenal hosted Hapoel Tel Aviv in front of 40,000 while Wolverhampton Wanderers welcomed South Africa.
Palace, of course, had to wait nine years for their glamour tie – but it topped the lot. When the original floodlights were replaced with more modern pylons at each corner of the ground, Real Madrid arrived – just weeks before their European Cup final triumph against Eusebio and Benfica – and lit up south London once again.
In the early 1970s, the floodlights were further updated with brighter illumination, said to be the brightest in the league.