Besides the Olympic medal, it is arguably the most familiar award known to man. Its name is Oscar, and 3,001 of the golden statues have been awarded since the first Academy Awards was held on May 16, 1929, at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel. Because some categories yield multiple winners and ties are possible – don’t forget Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand’s infamous draw in 1969 – it’s impossible to know how many Oscars will be awarded at the 88th Academy Awards. But these numbers, which paint a picture of the greatest show on Earth, we know for certain. Here is a look at the Oscars by the numbers:
8: Films nominated for Best Picture this year.
307: Number of films that were eligible for the big nomination.
20: Number of actors nominated for an Oscar.
0: Number of acting nominees of color this year.
19: Most times a person has hosted the Oscars (Bob Hope).
2: Number of times Chris Rock has hosted.
1953: First year the Oscars were televised.
100: Length in minutes of the shortest Oscar broadcast (31st Academy Awards in 1959).
2002: Year of the longest Oscar broadcast (4 hours and 23 minutes).
15: Number of broadcasts originating from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
3,300: Seats in the Dolby Theatre on Oscar night.
60: Number of ushers inside the Dolby Theatre on the big night.
37.3 million: Number of Americans who watched the Oscars in 2015.
500: Length of the red carpet in feet.
745: Number of fan bleacher seats lining the red carpet.
5: Number of spokes on the reel of film on Oscar.
13.2: Height of the Oscar statue in inches.
8.5: Weight of the Oscar statue in pounds.