Oscars History

The Academy Awards debuted on May 16, 1929. It was a small affair, held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with 270 people paying $5 each to attend. By 1942, attendance had grown to such an extent that the affair was moved to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. In 1969, the newly built Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles became the new venue of the Academy Awards ceremony. In 1953, the Oscars were first broadcast on television, allowing millions in the U.S. and Canada to watch the glamorous event. Prior to that, it had been broadcast on radio, with glimpses shown via news reels at cinemas. Since 2002, the awards have been held at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, now known as the Dolby Theatre. Now in its 95th year, the Academy Awards—the movie industry's most prestigious awards—are seen via satellite in over 200 countries around the world.

Browse the Oscars archive:

• Actor in Leading Role
• Actor in a Supporting Role
• Actress in a Leading Role
• Actress in a Supporting Role
• Animated Feature Film
• Production Design
• Best Picture
• Cinematography
• Costume Design
• Directing
• Documentary Feature
• Documentary Short Subject
• Film Editing
• Foreign Language Film
• Honorary Award
• Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award
• Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
• Makeup and Hairstyling
• Music Scoring
• Music Song
• Short Film Animated
• Short Film Live Action
• Sound
• Sound Editing
• Special Achievement Award
• Special Acting Awards
• Visual Effects
• Writing Adapted and Original