They expected a caretaker. They got a revolution.

On October 28, 1958, the cardinals elected Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the son of farmers from near Bergamo, Italy, as pope. He was 76 and took the name John XXIII.

Many saw him as a short, transitional choice. Instead, he announced the Second Vatican Council, which opened in 1962 and brought sweeping changes, including allowing the Mass to be celebrated in local languages instead of only Latin.

He was canonized as a saint in 2014.

Who in history surprised everyone after being underestimated?

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