How The Oscars Got Their Name

And 7 More Fun, Fascinating Facts About Hollywood’s Iconic Awards

• Though there are several different stories that claim to tell the origin of the nickname “Oscar,” the most common attributes the nickname to a comment made by Margaret Herrick, a librarian at the Academy. Upon first seeing the statuette, she commented that the statuette looked like her uncle Oscar. The nickname stuck and was officially used by the Academy beginning in 1939.

• The list of hosts for the Academy Awards ceremony is dotted with prestigious names such as Will Rogers, Frank Capra, jack Benny, Fred Astaire, jack Lemmon and David Letterman. However, one man has dominated Academy Award history; Bob Hope hosted a whopping 18 Academy Award ceremonies.

• Weighing 8.5 pounds and standing 13.5 inches in height, the coveted Oscar statuette is made of gold-plated britannium. However, between 1942 and the end of World War ii, the statuettes were made of plaster to conserve metal. Winners of these statuettes got the actual trophy after the war.

• It depicts a knight, holding a sword, standing on a reel of film which has five spokes, representing the 5 original branches of the Academy--actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. in 1949, the Academy started to number the statuettes, starting with number 501.

• The first Academy Awards, which took place at a private dinner for about 270 people, were presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Today, the ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre (around the corner from the Roosevelt).

• In 1940, the LA Times broke the Academy’s embargo and published the names of all the Oscar winners prior to the ceremony. As a result, the Academy introduced the sealed envelope tradition that is present to this day.