On This Day in History: The Inaugural Academy Awards 🎬 (May 16, 1929)

This Day in History: , First Academy Awards Ceremony.<br />May 16, 1929.<br />The first awards ceremony <br />was thought up by MGM mogul, Louis B. Mayer.<br />Styled more as a dinner party <br />than how we know the Oscars today, <br />the event included about 250 people.<br />Before this first ceremony <br />was conducted, the winners <br />had already been announced.<br />The purpose of the ceremony was <br />to honor the awardees and to present <br />them with their Oscar statuettes.<br />'Wings' and 'Sunrise' were the <br />first films to be awarded as <br />the best films of the year.<br />Emil Jannings won the Best Actor <br />award and Janet Gaynor won <br />in the Best Actress category