On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards ceremony was held. The awards were given out at a dinner for 250 people at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. The first host was Douglas Fairbanks. “Talkies” were in their infancy so they were not permitted to be in the running for Best Picture. That award was presented to Wings directed by William Wellman. The plot concerned two WWI pilots in love with the same woman.
