20 of the most legendary firsts in Academy Awards history

The first Academy Awards in history took place on May 16, 1929. The artists were nominated for work in a single film, for work across multiple films, or for work without reference to any specific film.

Emil Jannings, a German actor, became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was awarded for his work in "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Flesh". He still remains the only German actor to win an Oscar.

Janet Gaynor, one of the most prominent actresses of the silent era, became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was awarded for her performances in three films: "7th Heaven", "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans", and "Street Angel".

"Wings", a 1927 war film, became the first movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. It still remains the only silent movie to do so.

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her iconic performance as "Mammy" in "Gone with the Wind" (1939). Besides being a talented actress, McDaniel was a professional singer and comedian.

In 1940, "Gone with the Wind" became the first color movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. With 10 wins and 13 nominations, the film set records for the total number of wins and nominations at the time.

American lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II won his first Oscar at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942 for the song "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in "Lady Be Good". He received his second award for Best Original Song in 1945 for "It Might as Well Be Spring" in "State Fair".

In 1971, George C. Scott just ignored the ceremony: he felt that it was wrong to compete with other actors in such a way. Shortly after he was nominated, Scott sent the Academy a telegram in which he refused to participate. He won anyway, but didn't come to the event.

In 1953, the ceremony was also held simultaneously in New York City and Hollywood for the first time. The event was broadcast on television in black and white.

In 1935, "Cleopatra", "Imitation of Life", and "It Happened One Night" were nominated for Best Picture. American actress Claudette Colbert starred in all three. At the ceremony, "It Happened One Night" received all five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Colbert won Best Actress for her performance as heiress Ellie Andrews.

In 1957, Miyoshi Umeki won an award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Sayonara". The film won 4 Academy Awards. As of 2020, Umeki remains the only Asian woman to win an Academy Award for acting.

In 1946, Harold Russell, a WWII veteran and a non-professional actor, won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Best Years of Our Lives". The Academy went further: they also awarded Russell a special Oscar to recognize “the hope and courage he brought to his fellow veterans.” In 1992, Russell became the first Oscar winner to sell his award at auction for $60,000.

In 1964, Sidney Poitier was awarded for his performance in "Lillies of the Field". In 2002, Poitier received Academy Honorary Award, in recognition of his "remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being."

In 1969, the Best Actress award went to both Streisand and Hepburn. Barbra Streisand was awarded for her debut performance in "Funny Girl", and Hepburn received the award for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter".

Epic crime film directed by legendary Francis Ford Coppola was both sequel and prequel to "The Godfather" (1972). In 1975, "The Godfather Part II" was nominated for eleven awards and won 6 Oscars, including the Best Picture.

A chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Chief Dan George, was also a talented actor, poet and musician. In 1970, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Little Big Man".

Julia co-produced "The Sting", a prominent 1973 heist film. In 1974, "The Sting" was highly successful at the ceremony, receiving 10 nominations and winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing.

In 2010, after 82-year history of the Oscars, Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director. She was awarded for her war drama film "The Hurt Locker". From the start of her career in 1978, she worked on films of various budgets and genres, receiving many other awards and nominations.

In 1987, Marlee Matlin, aged 21, won Best Actress for her incredible work in "Children of a Lesser God". It was her debut film.

Hunt excellently portrayed Billy Kwan, an Asian photographer, in 1982's "The Year of Living Dangerously". This role became Linda's breakthrough and won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1983. The same year, she also earned a Golden Globe for this performance.

Though the first fantasy movies were filmed as early as at the beginning of the 20th century, it was not until 2003 that one of them received the Best Picture Oscar. Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" became the first movie to do so, also tying for the record for the most Oscars won by a single film.

The 2020 Academy Awards saw many historical moments. "Parasite", South Korean dark comedy thriller film, was announced as the Best Picture this year, making history as the first non-English speaking film to do so. Bong Joon-ho, who directed this powerful movie, was named the Best Director.

"Parasite" also received awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. The movie became the greatest breakthrough at the 2020 Oscars, as it is also the first Best Picture with a primarily Asian cast