Long considered to be one of the most glamourous nights of the year in the Hollywood calendar, the Oscars 2022 is almost here. With the event almost underway, many fans have been looking into the event's history in anticipation.
This year's event has seen nominations for some of the modern-day-classic pictures that have already been winning big this awards season, like sci-fi epic Dune, Kenneth Branagh's film Belfast, and western The Power of the Dog (which has garnered an impressive 12 Oscar nominations including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay).
The 94th annual Oscars will also see live performances from Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, Beyonce, Sebastián Yatra and Reba McEntire. The celebration of acting, writing, sound and the broader elements of the movie-making business is over 90 years old.
READ MORE: How to watch the movies from the Oscars 2022 Best Picture nominations
How long have the Academy Awards been going?
The first Academy Awards were handed out at the Academy banquet in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. The awards were described as 'a long banquet, filled with speeches, but presentation of the statuettes was handled expeditiously' by Academy President Douglas Fairbanks.
Two hundred and seventy people attended at the cost of $5 a ticket, and there wasn't quite the level of suspense that we have come to expect of the Oscars, as the award winners were given out to the public three months in advance.
When were the Oscars first televised?
The Oscars has had some form of coverage since its second-ever event. However, the first Oscars ceremony to be shown on television was held on March 19, 1953, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. NBC TV and radio network carried the 25th annual ceremony live, with Bob Hope as the master of ceremonies.
