Description: Mix your music! Learn GarageBand in 30 Days! mhlo.co Academy Award History www.mahalo.com Each year, millions tune in to watch the Academy Awards. Over the decades, thousands of Oscar statuettes have been handed out to those who work in the film industry - from actors to directors and film editors. How much do we really know about the Academy Awards? The Academy Awards have a rich history that spans more than eight decades. The first official Academy Awards ceremony took place during a banquet held at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. This was by no means the type of Oscar ceremony we see today - less than 300 people were on hand. Each paid a whopping $5 for a ticket to the dinner. In 1927 and 1928, a total of 15 Oscar statuettes were handed out to winners in various categories. Actor Emil Jannings was the Academy's first-ever Best Actor winner - he received the Oscar for performances in two films: ''The Last Command'' and ''The Way of All Flesh.'' And what about that golden statuette that all the winners get on Oscar night? The trophy has a rich history. It was originally designed by founding Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member and art director Cedric Gibbons. Gibbons came up with the statuette's unique design: the "majestic image" shows a knight "plunging his sword into a reel of film." The first Oscar statue, originally called the "Academy Award of Merit," was hand-cast in bronze at a cost of $500. In 1939, the award was named the Oscar. Why ...