The March 2016 History Home Page will commemorate the anniversary of the March 25, 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Learn how the tragedy impacted the nation, union organization, and working conditions using data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal agencies.
Charlie Chaplin received an honorary Oscar at the 1929 Academy Awards for his writing, directing, producing, and acting "versatility and genius" in The Circus.
Chaplin received a second honorary Oscar in 1972 for his impact on the motion picture industry and a Best Score award for the movie Limelight in 1973.
The Library of Congress chose six of Chaplin's movies for preservation in its National Film Registry—The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940).
Bob Hope was a frequent Academy Awards ceremony host. He received
five honorary Oscars, including this 1953 award for his "contribution to
the laughter of the world, his service to the motion picture industry, and
his devotion to the American premise."
On February 28, 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
hosts the 88th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, CA. During the televised ceremony, the Academy will award Oscar trophies in 24 categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, and Best Original Score.
The first Academy Awards ceremony—lasting just 15 minutes—was held on May 16, 1929. Fifteen Oscar trophies honored the motion picture industry's actors, actresses, directors, and others for work in 1927–1928. In the years that followed, the addition of new categories honored actors and actresses in supporting roles (1936), visual effects (1939), costume design (1948), sound editing (1963), and animated feature (2001).
Today the Academy Awards have evolved into a much anticipated event featuring some of the world's most beloved figures from the entertainment and fashion industries. You can learn more about the ceremony and the industries it honors using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies. For example:
reported that domestic audiences purchased 1.33 billion movie tickets for a total annual box office gross of approximately $11.1 billion.
Real estate developer H.J. Whitley erected the Hollywood Sign in 1923. Sited on Mount Lee in the Santa Monica Mountains, the sign—originally reading "Hollywoodland"—advertised
Whitley's housing development in the Hollywood district of Los, Angeles, CA. Today, the sign is an iconic landmark symbolizing the state's entertainment industry.
Former superintendent of the census J.D.B. DeBow died at his brother's Elizabeth, NJ, home on February 27, 1867.
Between 1853 and 1855, DeBow published the 1850 Census data and the Statistical View of the United States. His summary of the 1850 data in the Compendium contained the first map published by the Census Bureau. He also urged Congress to create a permanent census office and shunned hiring inexperienced workers based on political patronage.
Between 2007 and 2012, the number of Motion Picture and Sound Recording Establishments (NAICS 512), increased from 23,891 to 25,018, however, the number of people employed by the industry declined 9.3 percent to 304,497.
California led the nation in motion picture and sound recording employment with 113,899, followed by New York (32,463) and Texas (17,247).
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