The first Academy Awards were announced on this day in 1929. Today's Oscars are the height of glitz and glamor, featuring an extra-long red carpet, thousands of famous attendees, and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance. The first awards were a humbler affair; they were given at a private dinner in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with just 270 guests in attendance.
The 12 award categories covered films produced in 1927 and 1928. Janey Gaynor was deemed Best Actress for her performances across three movies, "Seventh Heaven," Street Angel," and "Sunrise," while Emil Jannings won Best Actor for "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Flesh." The other categories included Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay (officially called the "Academy Award for Best Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium"), and Best Director awards for both dramas and comedies, among a few others.
You can read more about the first Academy Awards ceremony in this article from EBSCO.
