And the Winner Is . . . Oscar History 101

Last updated · 13 min play time

The Academy Awards were created to celebrate cinema excellence. Why is the trophy a little gold dude named Oscar? Who has the most Oscars lining his or her mantle? Whose been nominated again and again but can't seem to seal the deal? See if you know the answers to these questions and many more with this fun, glamorous quiz all about the history of the Oscars.


Okay, so maybe a taking a quiz isn't glamorous — but this one comes close. Put on your most paparazzi-friendly face and get ready to tread the red carpet of knowledge on your way to Oscar-quiz glory. And if you're going to give a tearful acceptance speech each time you get one right, just try to keep it short, OK?


Beth Sederstrom is a writer and editor from Indiana. You might recognize her from her 1990 appearance Nickelodeon's Outta Here. But probably not.

Oscars History Quiz Questions

30 Questions · 836 Plays · No comments

Question 1

How many times was sound mixer Kevin O'Connell nominated for an Oscar before he actually took a little gold guy home?

  • A
    5
  • B
    15
  • C
    10
  • D
    20

Question 2

The Academy Awards weren't always a reason to party hard on a Sunday night. In what year were the Oscars first televised?

  • A
    1933
  • B
    1939
  • C
    1953
  • D
    1943

Question 3

According to Oscar lore, the Academy Award was given its nickname by Margaret Herrick, the Academy librarian. Who did she name it after?

  • A
    Composer Oscar Hammerstein
  • B
    Author Oscar Wilde
  • C
    Swedish industrialist Oscar Dickson
  • D
    Her Uncle Oscar

Question 4

The Oscar trophy is a knight holding a sword on a reel of film with five spokes. What do those five spokes represent?

  • A
    Comedy, drama, action, adventure, and romance
  • B
    Integrity, imagination, motion, creativity, and truth
  • C
    United Artists Studio and its four founders: Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks
  • D
    Actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers

Question 5

Which performer has been nominated for the most Oscars?

  • A
    Jack Nicholson
  • B
    Katharine Hepburn
  • C
    Meryl Streep
  • D
    Laurence Olivier

Question 6

Which performer has won the most Oscars as of 2018?

  • A
    Jack Nicholson
  • B
    Meryl Streep
  • C
    Katharine Hepburn
  • D
    Laurence Olivier

Question 7

Ties at the Oscars are rare. What two actors tied for Best Actor at the fifth Academy Awards?

  • A
    Walter Brennan and Paul Muni
  • B
    Wallace Beery and Frederic March
  • C
    Clark Gable and Charles Laughton
  • D
    Lionel Barrymore and George Arliss

Question 8

With whom did Katharine Hepburn tie for Best Actress at the 1969 Oscars?

  • A
    Maggie Smith
  • B
    Sophia Loren
  • C
    Barbra Streisand
  • D
    Elizabeth Taylor

Question 9

Despite being nominated for multiple Oscars, British film editor Roderick Jaynes has never attended the ceremony. Why not?

  • A
    He was banned from the Oscars for life after punching host Bob Hope backstage.
  • B
    He doesn't exist.
  • C
    He's legally barred from entering the United States.
  • D
    He died in 1938.

Question 10

Who is the youngest competitive Oscar winner ever as of 2018?

  • A
    Judy Garland
  • B
    Shirley Temple
  • C
    Tatum O'Neal
  • D
    Anna Paquin

Question 11

Who is the oldest actor to win a competitive Oscar as of 2018?

  • A
    Gloria Stewart
  • B
    Jessica Tandy
  • C
    Normal Lloyd
  • D
    Christopher Plummer

Question 12

How much does an Oscar weigh?

  • A
    14 pounds
  • B
    6 pounds
  • C
    2.5 pounds
  • D
    8.5 pounds

Question 13

Who was the first African American performer to win an Oscar?

  • A
    Lena Horne
  • B
    Diahann Carroll
  • C
    Hattie McDaniel
  • D
    Sidney Poitier

Question 14

At the 15th Oscars, actress Greer Garson gave the longest acceptance speech on record. Approximately how long was it?

  • A
    15 minutes
  • B
    24 minutes
  • C
    6 minutes
  • D
    11 minutes

Question 15

Even the Academy got patriotic and did its duty for America during World War II. Due to a metal shortage, what were the Oscars made of instead of bronze at the 1943 ceremony?

  • A
    Plastic
  • B
    Plaster
  • C
    Wood
  • D
    Clay

Question 16

Which of the following used to be an Oscar category?

  • A
    Best Stunt Coordinator
  • B
    Best Boy
  • C
    Best Assistant Director
  • D
    Best Camera Operator

Question 17

What was the first animated film to get a Best Picture nomination?

  • A
    Toy Story 3
  • B
    Beauty and the Beast
  • C
    The Lion King
  • D
    Up

Question 18

What do Tom Hanks, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Louise Rainer, and Jason Robards have in common?

  • A
    They all lost an Oscar to a member of the Fonda family.
  • B
    They all won back-to-back Oscars.
  • C
    They've all won exactly three Oscars (as of 2018).
  • D
    They all won Oscars for playing lawyers.

Question 19

At the 2017 Academy Awards, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway presented the Best Picture Oscar to the wrong film. What film actually won Best Picture?

  • A
    La La Land
  • B
    Manchester by the Sea
  • C
    Hidden Figures
  • D
    Moonlight

Question 20

Who was the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar?

  • A
    James Dean
  • B
    Peter Finch
  • C
    Heath Ledger
  • D
    Marlon Brando

Question 21

As of 2018, which country has the most nominations for Best Foreign Language Film?

  • A
    Japan
  • B
    France
  • C
    Hungary
  • D
    Spain

Question 22

What performer has the most Oscar nominations without a competitive win as of 2018?

  • A
    Johnny Depp
  • B
    Ralph Fiennes
  • C
    Peter O'Toole
  • D
    Tom Cruise

Question 23

Which individual has won the most Oscars?

  • A
    Walt Disney
  • B
    John Williams
  • C
    Gene Kelly
  • D
    Betty White

Question 24

What's notable about P.H. Vazak's Oscar nomination for writing 1984's "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes?"

  • A
    It was his fourth in a row.
  • B
    The film won Worst Screenplay at that year's Razzie Awards.
  • C
    Vazak was a Hungarian sheepdog.
  • D
    His nomination as revoked after it was discovered that he plagiarized large parts of the script.

Question 25

When did the first woman win Best Director?

  • A
    1977
  • B
    1997
  • C
    2001
  • D
    2010

Question 26

Which multiple-Oscar-winner who famously never attends the ceremony made an exception after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and gave a brief tribute to New York City at the 2002 Oscars?

  • A
    Diane Keaton
  • B
    Robert De Niro
  • C
    Ellen Barkin
  • D
    Woody Allen

Question 27

As of 2018, what film is the only one to sweep all four acting categories?

  • A
    Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • B
    Sunset Boulevard
  • C
    No film has pulled this off yet.
  • D
    American Hustle

Question 28

Who was the first person to win an Oscar for playing another Oscar winner?

  • A
    Leonardo DiCaprio
  • B
    Christian Bale
  • C
    Kate Winslet
  • D
    Cate Blanchett

Question 29

Liza Minnelli is the daughter of Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. Which one of them is the only one who doesn't have an Oscar?

  • A
    Liza Minnelli
  • B
    Nice try; they've all won an Oscar
  • C
    Vincente Minnelli
  • D
    Judy Garland

Question 30

Who was the first performer to say "thanks, but no thanks" to the Academy after winning an Oscar?

  • A
    Grace Kelly
  • B
    Marlon Brando
  • C
    Bette Davis
  • D
    George C. Scott

Comments (0)

We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.