Despite her humble beginnings, the annual Academy Awards event has conquered the world. The Oscars were founded by Louis B Mayer, head of MGM studios, in 1927 to be a non-profit organization aimed at developing the motion picture industry.

The first Academy Awards ceremony took place two years later, on May 16, 1929, at an official Academy dinner held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Attendance was just 270 and each guest ticket cost five dollars.

All of the award-winning films were silent except for one: “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson. The grand prize, however, went to the film ‘Wings’.

In 1939, Hattie McDaniel made history by becoming the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. And this for the role of Mami she played in the movie “Gone with the Wind”. McDaniel, who was seated at a separate table from her co-stars due to racial discrimination, rose from her seat and moved on stage to receive the Best Supporting Actress statuette.

The evening consisted of a formal meal, interspersed with guest speeches. The awarding of the statuettes was undertaken exclusively by the president of the Academy, Douglas Fairbanks.

It wasn’t until March 19, 1953 that the Oscars were first televised live from the RKO Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

The NBC television and radio network broadcast the 25th annual awards, televised live from the International Theater in New York. A live radio broadcast of the ceremony, however, has been taking place since the second year of the event.

Participation in the Oscars is by invitation only, as the organizers do not have tickets for sale.