7 Surprising Oscars Facts

'Lord Of The Rings' Was The Biggest Ever Oscar Sweep

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won every category it was nominated in at the 76th annual awards, winning 11 awards in total. NZ represent! 

There's never been a Latina or Asian American "Best Actress" winner

In the 85 years of Academy Awards, no Latina or Asian American woman has ever won a best actress. Salma Hayek has been the only Latina ever nominated and Merle Oberon the only Asian actress nominated. Along with this, there's only ever been one black female winner, Halle Berry for Monster's Ball in 2001.

No one can agree where "Oscar" comes from

The official name for the awards is the "Academy Award of Merit". Two explanations are given for the Oscar nickname—a biography of Bette Davis says that the Oscar was named after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. But the popular story is that in 1931, Academy Executive Secretary Margaret Herrick commented that the statue reminded her of her "Uncle Oscar", an affectionate name she gave to her cousin. 

The Oscar presenter knows they can't say this one thing

When an Oscar winner is announced, presenters are NOT allowed to say "And the winner is…" They must say "And the Oscar goes to…"

Angelina Jolie is rumored to have lost her oscar

And she's not the only one! Matt Damon, Marlon Brando and Jeff Bridges, have said to have misplaced their golden statues.

There was a time when the tickets were $5

The first Academy Awards were held in 1929, and tickets were just $5. The event was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and 15 statues were awarded.