The first Academy Awards were held on May 16, 1929 at Hollywood's Roosevelt hotel and tickets for the event were $5. That year, Charlie Chaplin was awarded the Oscars statuette for 'versatility and genius' in acting, writing, directing and producing for 'The Circus.
'Titanic' and 'All About Eve' are the two most nominated films in Oscar history with a whooping 14 nominations each. 'Titanic' went on to win 11 of those awards
The 2009 Oscars drew in just shy of 37 million viewers domestically with Hugh 79th annual Oscars telecast.
Nattie McDaniel, the house servant in 'Gone with the Wind', made history in 1939 by being the first black performer to win an Academy Award
Each Oscar statuette costs $500 to make and weighs approximately 8.5 pounds.
Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson lead the pack for the most Oscar nominations. Streep has been nominated a record 16 times, winning twice. Nicholson earned three awards out of his 12 Oscar nominations.
At the age of 29, Adrien Brody made history by being the youngest 'Best Leading Actor' winner for 'The Pianist' in 2002. Tatum O'Neal won 'Best Supporting Actress' for 'Paper Moon' when she was 10, becoming the youngest person to receive an Academy Award
2006 marked a big year for black actors. Five of the 20 actors nominated were black - the most in Oscar history. They included Will Smith ('The Pursuit of Happyness'), Eddie Murphy ('Dreamgirls'), Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls'), Forest Whitaker ('The Last King of Scotland'), and Djimon Hounsou ('Blood Diamond'). Diamond')
Bob Hope hosted the Academy Awards a stunning 18 times, the most in Oscar history, but never actually won a golden statuette himself or any other award for his acting. He did receive various honors, including five honorable Oscars
