History of the Academy Awards
, by B Thomas Hartwell, 2 min reading time
The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, are one of the world’s most prestigious and sought-after film awards. While the glitz and glamour of the awards ceremony are often the focus of attention, the history behind the iconic Oscar trophy is equally fascinating.
The Oscars, officially the Academy Awards, began in 1929 as a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored films from 1927 and 1928, and the silent World War I drama Wings won the award now recognized as the first Best Picture Oscar. The winners had already been announced three months before the ceremony. First Academy Awards · Oscars on the Air
Key moments in Oscars history
- 1939 — “Oscar” became the official nickname. The trophy’s formal name is the Academy Award of Merit. The nickname’s origins are uncertain, though one popular story credits Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who reportedly thought the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar. The Oscar statuette
- 1940 — Hattie McDaniel made history. She became the first Black person to win a competitive Academy Award, taking Best Supporting Actress for Gone with the Wind. Academy press office
- 1953 — The Oscars reached television. NBC aired the 25th Academy Awards, bringing the ceremony into viewers’ homes for the first time. Oscars on the Air
- 2017 — The wrong Best Picture winner was announced. Presenters initially named La La Land after receiving the wrong envelope. The mistake was corrected onstage, and Moonlight received the award. 89th Academy Awards
- 2020 — Parasite broke the Best Picture language barrier. Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean film became the first primarily non-English-language film to win Best Picture. It also won for directing, original screenplay, and international feature film. 92nd Academy Awards
The awards also expanded as filmmaking evolved. Film editing, original score, and song joined the lineup in the 1930s, and the ceremony grew to recognize a wider range of work behind the camera. Academy Awards presentation history
The design of the Oscar trophy is credited to Cedric Gibbons, the head of the art department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios, and sculptor George Stanley. The inspiration for the design is said to have come from a combination of classical and Art Deco styles, with a focus on the idealized human form.
The Oscar statuette has kept its original design since 1929, though the size of its base varied until the Academy adopted the current standard in 1945. The film reel beneath the figure has five spokes, one for each of the Academy’s original branches.
Winning an Oscar comes with a condition. Before selling or otherwise parting with the statuette, winners must first offer to sell it back to the Academy for $1. The same rule applies to heirs who inherit the trophy.