A Brief History and Facts about The Academy Awards (OSCARS).
                     A BRIEF HISTORY AND FACTS ABOUT 
THE ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS)
1927: How did the Academy Awards start?
When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
was founded in 1927, the awards committee was only 
one of several that had been formed by the new 
organization. 
The idea of presenting awards was considered but not 
immediately pursued. 
Source: www.historyextra.com
1929: The first Academy Awards ceremony 
takes place
The first Academy Award Ceremony took place two 
years later at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, on 16 
May 1929. 
Source: www.historyextra.com
1929: The first Academy Award Winners
The first ever Academy Award was bestowed upon Emil 
Jannings, for Best Actor for his leading roles in silent 
films The Way of All Flesh (1927) and The Last 
Command (1928).
Source: www.historyextra.com
1934: The wrong Frank gets up on stage
Caught up in the excitement of the ceremony, Frank 
Capra heard Will Rogers, who presented the award, 
exclaim “Come on up and get it, Frank!” He duly ran up 
to the stage to claim his award, only to find that it was 
in fact Frank Lloyd who had won.
Source: www.historyextra.com
1939: The name ‘Oscar’ is officially adopted
Popular legend has it that the name ‘The Oscars’ 
originated from Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, 
who claimed the award statuette bore a striking 
resemblance to her Uncle Oscar.
In 1939 the Academy decided to officially embrace its 
now synonymous nickname, which had been used 
informally for several years.
Source: www.historyextra.com
1940: Winners are leaked before the 
ceremony
In 1940 the LA Timesbroke the embargo and announced 
the winners in their evening edition, meaning that 
nominees could find out their fate before turning up at 
the ceremony.
Source: www.historyextra.com
1945: First Academy Award 
comes in handy in the Second 
World War
When the Allies stormed Berlin in 1945, Jannings 
reportedly carried his Oscar statuette around with him 
to win over American GIs and to demonstrate his 
former allegiance to the US.
Source: www.historyextra.com
1973: Marlon Brando’s Oscar is 
rejected by Sacheen Littlefeather
Marlon Brando famously refused his Best Actor award 
for his performance in The Godfather (1972) in protest 
of Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. 
Source: www.historyextra.com
1974: Tatum O’Neal become the 
youngest-ever Oscar winner
The 10-year-old received an Academy Award for Best 
Supporting Actress for her role in Paper Moon (1973), in 
which she starred opposite her father, Ryan O’Neal. She 
accepted her award wearing a mini tuxedo and platform 
shoes.
Source: www.historyextra.com
1998: Titanic wins 11 Oscars
With 14 nominations and 11 wins, the blockbuster epic 
Titanic (1997) dominated the Academy Awards in 1998. 
Starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet, it tells the 
tragic story of the passenger ship that sank on its 
maiden voyage in 1912.
Source: www.historyextra.com