Counting down to the 75th annual Oscars ceremony March 23:

The first Academy Awards were presented May 16, 1929, in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; 250 people attended. Tickets cost $10 each. It is the only Oscars ceremony that was not broadcast.

Oscar statues are manufactured in Chicago by RS Owens, from the alloy britannium (tin, copper and antimony) plated in successive layers of copper, nickel, silver and 24-karat gold. Each stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds.

Since the first Academy Awards, 2,455 statues have been presented.