History of the Oscars

Held annually since 1929, the Academy Awards is an awards ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which rewards achievements in filmmaking to actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, and film technicians. The history of the Oscars is one mostly of grandeur and pomp, but also showcases some of the most heartwarming events in modern America.

Despite the regality associated with the history of the Oscars, the first Academy Awards ceremony was in a much smaller setting. The first Academy Awards on May 16, 1929 was held at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood, and only about 270 people were in attendance. Early Oscar ceremonies were held as banquets up until 1942, when attendance became too high to be practical. The first film to be awarded an Oscar for Best Picture was Wings, a silent film (and the only silent film to win the Oscar for Best Picture). Two honorary awards were also given at the first Academy Awards ceremony: one to Charles Chaplin for acting in, writing, directing, and producing The Circus, and one to The Jazz Singer, for being the first "talking picture."

There are many other points of interest in the history of the Oscars. The Oscars was first televised in 1953, and was first broadcast in color in 1966. The first black person to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1939 for her performance in Gone with the Wind in the role of Mammy. The first male black actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role was Sidney Poitier in 1963 for the film Lilies in the Field.

Today, the Academy Awards ceremony is hosted in the Kodak Theatre, where it has been held since 2002. Some criticize the ceremony because it awards movies based only on the voting of those in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (most of whom are actors and actresses), and thus does not necessarily represent the opinion of most movie-watching audiences.  Regardless, films that win Oscars generally have a lasting legacy and have demonstrated excellence in the field of filmmaking. The history of the Oscars is one not easily forgotten.