This Day in History: February 18th

Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, February 18th.

In 1929, the first winners of the Academy Awards were announced. It was welcomed with little fanfare or buildup, as the ceremony would take place a few months later. Each winner was notified via a telegram and an invite to receive their trophy. The public was able to see the winners on the back of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences newsletter. This was the first and so-far only awards ceremony not broadcasted live on either radio nor television.

In 1930, a dwarf planet made mostly of ice is discovered following decades of searches by astronomers. This planet, named Pluto, was under heavy speculation in terms of its existence. It wasn’t until Clyde W. Tombaugh’s contributions that made finding the mysterious ninth planet a reality. An 11-year-old girl from England recommended the planet to be named after the Roman god of the underworld, which later got approved. In 2006, Pluto got reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) due to the possibility of “other objects cross[ing] Pluto’s orbital path“.